Can't Go Back Now
by tutorwife93
Summary: Basically, Cate regretted giving her daughter up for adoption and she becomes a foster parent as kind of a way to make up for it. What happens when four year old Lux comes to live with her? It’ll be better than it sounds so please give it a chance!
1. Wreck Of The Day

**A/N: So this story is a little different and was inspired by red lighting (****.net/u/907916****) :)**

**First chapter (short chapter, I'm sorry!) is Cate and Baze in high school and the next chapters will skip ahead but there will be some flashbacks along the way.**

**Just give it a chance and please review! :)**

**Chapter One- Wreck Of The Day**

It took Cate Cassidy six days to realize she had made the biggest mistake of her life. Six days, eleven hours, and twenty three minutes.

The realization had hit her like a ton of bricks, smothering her, making it impossible to breathe, and all during a Biology test, six days after she gave up her daughter.

Cate hadn't remembered passing out, or that Nathaniel Bazile, the once rebellious, popular quarterback, had picked her up and carried her bridal style outside onto the oval before anyone else even had a chance to register what had happened.

"Cate?" Baze's voice was softer than usual, more caring; it had been like whenever he was around Cate over the last nine months. The sixteen year old jock hesitantly brushed a piece of Cate's hair back from her face, waiting for her to wake up. "Cate?"

Finally, Cate started to come around and Baze breathed a sigh of relief. "Baze?"

"You passed out." He stated, suddenly unsure of what to say. "The nurse might have- I mean, she would've figured it out, and I knew you wanted to keep it a secret."

Cate nodded, her bloodshot eyes filling with tears. _The Secret._ That's what they had come to call the pregnancy, neither teen finding the strength to accept the fact that at sixteen years old, they were parents. "Thanks." She whispered.

"Is it- are you okay? I mean, like physically? Do you need to go to the hospital?" Baze sat beside her, looking at her nervously. He had read a book. On pregnancy. He had read a book when he had told Cate he would be there for her. And he knew that there could be complications afterward from the…. birth.

Cate shook her head, tears spilling from her eyes as she covered her mouth. "She's gone." Cate spoke, gasping for breath. "She was ours, and she was perfect, and she's gone. We just gave her away."

Cate bent over and started to sob as Baze sat by her awkwardly, finally deciding to place a hand on her back comfortingly.

"I miss her too." Baze said softly as Cate continued to the sob.

Cate looked up at him, their eyes revealing the same pain. Slowly she moved closer to him, curling herself up in his arms and leaning her head against his chest.

"We'll find her." Baze whispered into her hair, knowing the reassurance was what both of them needed, even though the reality might be different. "We'll get her back."


	2. Bring On The Wonder

**Chapter 2- Bring On The Wonder**

It was just before midday when Cate arrived home. She loved Thursdays; she only had the radio show and one class for college, giving her the rest of the day off.

Usually she would go for a run before running a few errands. Her neighborhood was nice; not many twenty year olds could afford to buy their own house, let alone live in the area she did. But the radio station paid well, and Baze gave her some support, despite the fact that they no longer talked. Neither party acknowledged it but she knew it was because he felt guilty.

Cate opened the front door and walked inside, throwing down her bag and flipping through her mail as she listened to her voicemail messages.

She wasn't really listening, but froze when she heard a particular voice. "Hi, Cate. This is Fern Walters **(Don't know if they mentioned her full name so I made it up)** from Sunrise Social Services. I would like to arrange a meeting with you regarding the possibility of fostering a young girl. Please ring me back as soon as you get this."

Cate stood frozen, unable to move. She had legally been a foster parent for two years now, since she was eighteen, after becoming emancipated and a foster parent to Abby while their mother was in rehab. And despite Cate's desperate want to foster a child, the agency had told her that they didn't allow single working people to become foster parents, especially if technically they weren't considered adults yet.

Cate shakily grabbed the phone off of the receiver and dialed the agency's number, taping her fingers against a bench anxiously.

"_Sunrise Social Services. Fern speaking."_

Cate took a deep breath before speaking. "Hi. This is Cate. Uh- Cate Cassidy."

"_Oh, Cate! I assume you got my message."_

"Yeah…"

"_Well I'd really like to discuss some things with you if that's alright. We could meet this afternoon if you're free."_

Cate nodded, before realizing Fern couldn't see her response. "Sure."

"_Great. I'm going to be in the office for the next few hours so if you could come and meet me, that'd be great."_

"Uh, okay. Can I ask what this is about?"

Fern sighed._ "As you know, we usually don't allow single parents to foster kids but we have a little girl in the hospital we can't seem to find a placement for. It seems this time of year is busy for the system. We came across your file and if you're still interested, there's an opportunity that you could be her temporary placement."_

Cate stood frozen, almost choking with shock. "I-uh, of course I'm interested."

Fern smiled. _"That's great news. I'll see you sometime this afternoon?"_

"Uh huh." Cate nodded, still reeling.

"_Great. See you then."_

Cate stood frozen, the phone still in her hand. It hadn't occurred to her before, but was she really ready to do this? At the end of the day, she would once again have to give the kid away, and Cate didn't know if she could handle that again.

Shaking off her fears, Cate grabbed her bag and rushed to her car, driving off in the direction of the building.

Cate sat like a nervous kid, waiting outside the principal's office as she looked around the waiting room. It was relatively busy, and Cate pulled her purse closer to her chest before mentally hitting herself for being so stereotypical.

"Cate. Good to see you again." Fern smiled and she came out of her office, stepping a few toys to cross the room and shake Cate's hand.

Cate smiled politely. "You too."

"Why don't you come on back?" Fern lead Cate back into her office, not waiting for a response. "Have a seat."

Cate did as she was told, folding her hands underneath her legs to keep from shaking. Fern reached across the desk and handed her a file, and Cate looked down at it nervously before opening it and glancing over the information.

_Lux Smith._ Cate frowned at the name. She liked Lux, but couldn't help but feel a little sad at the government issued last name. _In foster care since birth. Four years old. Date of birth…_

Cate froze at the date. _April 18, 1994. _ She flipped through the file quickly, not finding any information about the girl's birth parents. "There's not- uh, her birth parents, there's not any information on them."

Fern nodded sadly. "I've only been with Lux for a couple of months so I'm not too sure on the circumstances surrounding her being put in the foster system."

Cate nodded as she continued to flip through the file, coming to a stop at the photos. There was one of the little girl as a baby, followed by one as a toddler and finally one recently. Cate gasped at the sight of her.

"She had a heart problem at birth, and had to have surgeries the majority of her first years which is why she wasn't adopted as a baby." Fern was explaining to Cate but Cate was only half listening.

It was clear to Cate, that Lux had been happiest while in hospital, despite the fact that she spent most of her time on the operating table. The most recent photo revealed a pale, thin little girl in a large hospital bed, hooked up to IVs and her body covered in dark bruises. Cate could barely make out her facial features due to the fact that she was beaten so badly.

"…She's had a rough life." Cate looked up, realizing Fern was still talking. "But we hope to that she'll settled down with you until she can be permanently placed."

Cate nodded and Fern smiled. "Would you like to meet her? The paperwork is being filed as we speak so you could take her home this afternoon if you'd like?"

Cate opened her mouth shocked. She hadn't really thought this through. She was getting a daughter today. Even if it was only temporary. This little girl would rely on her for everything. Food, clothing, warmth, love…

"We'll get a car seat fitted into your car first." Fern suggested as she stood up and Cate followed, leaving the office.

"It's perfectly normal to be nervous." Fern assured after they had fitted Cate's car with the child seat and were walking into the hospital building where the social services office resided. "Most new parents are, especially when they're caring for someone else's child."

"Yeah…" Cate agreed, taking a calming breath. "It's just a little overwhelming."

Fern stopped and turned to her. "If you don't think you can handle this…"

"No, no." Cate shook her head no and smiled. "I can. I want to."

Fern nodded and smiled, accepting Cate's answer and leading her into the waiting room. Cate took a seat while Fern quickly sorted out the paperwork. It seemed unreal. She was getting a child.

**A/N: Worst. Update. Ever. My god, I am so sorry. Truly terrible, but I promise, if you stick with it, it'll get so much better! Next chapter, Cate meets Lux and it will be up tomorrow if not tonight :) Please review. Even if it is just to tell me how bad this chapter was.**


	3. God Bless The Child

**Chapter 3- God Bless The Child**

Cate followed Fern down the white hospital corridor, looking around nervously. She paused when she spotted a little girl at the end of the hallway, and Fern turned back to her, smiling reassuringly.

Lux sat on the waiting chairs against the wall, hands on her lap while she starred at her dangling legs. Cate was shocked. Fern had told her the abuse she had been through, but Cate couldn't have predicted this. Lux had a bright blue cast going up to her shoulder which covered her left arm, and her right one, like her legs were covered in bruises. Her blonde curly locks were pulled back with a pink headband to match her pink and white checkered dress, and Cate looked at Lux's face, feeling nauseous when she saw that barely any of Lux's face was left unbruised.

Fern walked over to Lux, taking a seat beside her. Lux didn't look up, but Fern smiled at her anyway. "Hi Lux. I have somebody I'd like you to meet." Fern signaled for Cate to come over and Cate did as she was asked. "Lux, this is Cate."

Cate bent down in front of Lux, holding out her hand. "Hi Lux." Lux slowly looked up from the ground to look over the new arrival, meeting Cate's eyes, and Cate gasped. Her eyes. They were so familiar...

Lux hesitantly shook Cate's hand once she had realized that Cate wouldn't hurt her, though she didn't speak.

Fern smiled at the interaction between the two, before looking at Lux. "Lux, you're going to be staying with Cate for a little while. Is that okay?"

Lux looked at Fern nervously, before looking back at Cate and sizing her up again. Finally, she nodded, and Cate released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

"I would love to help you get her settled in but I have a lot of cases that need reviewing this afternoon." Fern said to Cate. "Lux," Fern smiled at Lux. "I have to go to work now. Are you going to be okay with Cate? If you need anything, or you want to talk to me, you can just ask her okay?"

Lux nodded slightly, looking at Cate. Cate smiled back at her, meeting Lux's eyes. Fern said goodbye to the two before rushing off back down the hallway.

"Do you have any bags?" Cate asked gently. Lux simply pointed to the small backpack next to her and Cate felt even worse about what Lux had been through.

Cate stood up and held out her hand for Lux to take. Lux looked up at her nervously; a hand usually meant a hit; but remembering that Cate wasn't going to hurt her, Lux slipped her small hand into Cate's and stood next to her.

Cate reached down and grabbed Lux's light backpack, swinging it over her shoulder, as the two slowly walked down the hallway and out to Cate's car.

When they got there, Cate unlocked her silver Prius and placed Lux's bag in the backseat next to where Fern had fitted the car seat. She looked down at Lux and smiled reassuringly, almost as if asking for permission to touch her, and Lux understood, lifting her arms as a signal for Cate to pick her up.

Cate carefully avoided Lux's bruises and picked the little girl up easily, surprised at how light she was. She placed Lux in the car seat and buckled her up before getting into the driver's seat and pulling out of the car park.

"Are you hungry?" Cate asked after a few minutes. Lux, who had been starring out of the window silently, turned to her. "I was thinking we could go and get some ice cream." She smiled.

Lux continued to look blankly, before turning to look back out the window. Cate, however, pulled to a park close to a playground, figuring they could get some ice cream and go for a walk, or Lux could play for a little while.

Opening the back door, Cate again silently asked for permission before unbuckling Lux and picking her up. Lux gripped onto her shirt, and Cate looked at her confused before realizing the little girl was scared of the crowds, and she didn't blame her as almost everyone looked at Lux, shocked at her bruises, then glared at Cate.

Cate smiled at her reassuringly. "It's okay." She shifted Lux onto her hip and balanced her there as they walked.

Lux looked around in awe. It wasn't often she was taken out in public. She never had been. Not at the hospital, or with the foster parents who had abused her.

Cate smiled as Lux seemed to relax a little, the small blonde resting her head on Cate's shoulder.

They walked into the ice cream parlor, and Lux's face lit up as they looked at all the flavors. "What would you like, Lux?" Cate smiled, looking down at her.

Lux looked up at her surprised and Cate laughed a little at her shocked expression. "You can choose anything you want." Lux looked back down at the selection and then nervously back at Cate. "Do you want chocolate, or vanilla, or rainbow…" Cate listed off some of the selections as the server came over to them.

Lux nodded and Cate looked down at her to clarify. "Rainbow?" Again, Lux nodded and Cate smiled. "Okay."

Lux's face lit up brighter than ever as Cate handed her the ice cream, and she looked at Cate for permission to eat it. Cate laughed. "Go ahead, sweetie."

Lux devoured the ice cream quickly, much to Cate's amusement. Apparently, sugar was a good bonding tool. They walked down the boardwalk beside a lake, hand in hand, although apparently Lux didn't trust Cate enough yet to speak.

Lux stopped when she spotted the playground and looked up at Cate who smiled down at her and nodded. Lux let go of Cate's hand and sprinted towards the playground as fast as an injured four year old could run. "Be careful!" Cate called after her as she took a seat on the closest bench to the playground, watching Lux carefully as she climbed the slide.

It surprised her how at ease she felt with Lux now. But she couldn't seem to shake the feeling that there was something about her, something familiar.

After a few minutes of playing, Lux got tired and came over to sit next to Cate, both just enjoying one another's presence.

"Are you ready to go home now?" Cate asked kindly, breaking the silence.

Lux nodded, yawning, and Cate smiled at her as the blonde lifted her arms and allowed Cate to pick her up.

They pulled into Cate's driveway fifteen minutes later, although Lux was asleep by the time they arrived. Cate smiled and picked her up, balancing her as she unlocked the house.

She carried Lux into her own bedroom, and vowed to herself that she would take the next week or so off to get Lux settled in, including going shopping for furniture and clothes to set up the guest room for Lux tomorrow.

She placed Lux down on her bed, and fiddled around in her draw to find a t-shirt for Lux to change into.

Lux stirred as Cate removed her shoes, and was fully awake when Cate attempted to undo her dress. She screamed, running to the other side of the room and whimpering nervously as Cate stood back shocked.

Finally, Cate realized what she had done wrong. Fern had warned her about the abuse Lux had gone through, and now that she thought about it, it didn't surprise her that the girl freaked out when she tried to undress her.

Cate knelt on the ground in front of Lux, smiling at her sadly but reassuringly. "Lux?" She questioned gently. "I want you to listen to me okay." Lux looked up at her nervously, still crunched in the corner. "I promise I will never hurt you. I promise I will never touch you without your permission. I'll look after you, sweetheart. I promise, I'll never let anyone hurt you again, okay?"

Lux looked at her and sniffled, pausing as she took in Cate's words, before she nodded and slowly walked towards Cate. Cate held up the t-shirt, letting Lux know what she was doing. "Do you want to change into something else to sleep in?"

Lux nodded, hesitantly walking towards Cate. She looked directly into Cate's eyes as Cate undid her dress and pulled it off of her body carefully.

Cate gasped at the state of Lux's body. The four year old had bruises, burns and scars covering her stomach and back, all varying ages to suggest she had been beaten a lot.

Cate looked at Lux, her eyes tearing up, but smiled reassuringly as she slipped her t-shirt over Lux's head.

It was way too big for her, but it made the girl look even more adorable than usual, and Lux hugged it to herself like a blanket.

Cate smiled at Lux and stroked a piece of hair back behind her ears. Lux looked at Cate before walking closer and wrapping her arms around her shoulders, allowing Cate to hug her as she carefully carried her to the bed.

Cate covered Lux with the blankets, tucking her in and kissing her forehead. "Sleep well, Lux. If you need anything, you just let me know, okay?"

Lux nodded and closed her eyes as Cate made her way to the door, looking back at Lux before turning off the light and walking into the living room.

Lux hesitantly climbed out of bed and walked over to the light switch, flipping it back on before climbing back into bed and falling asleep.


	4. Change Of Time

**A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long to update! It's the end of term so life and school has been crazy! But I made this a long chapter to make it up to you guys (whom are amazing btw) and I'll try and get another chapter up tomorrow or the day after. Flashbacks are in bold, and this chapter is slightly cheesy, but please review :)**

**Chapter 4- Change Of Time**

Cate sat at the kitchen table, frustrated as she typed on her laptop. She sighed, resting her tired head on her hand. She was getting nowhere. It seemed as though Lux's history had been completely erased or, at least, she couldn't find it anywhere.

She was torn from the laptop at the sound of quiet whimpering. At first she thought she was imagining it, but stood up and slowly walked to her room to check on Lux anyway.

Cate felt her heart stopped when Lux wasn't in the bed, and she rushed in, throwing the covers on the floor. The bed was wet, and Cate assumed Lux had wet it, but her main concern at the moment was where Lux was.

Cate pushed back her hair as she began to hyperventilate, looking around the room quickly. She stopped, hearing the whimpering again and quickly walked towards it, throwing open her closet door.

Lux was hiding in the back, her legs curled up to her chest as she tried to stop her tears. Cate breathed a sigh of relief and bent down, smiling at Lux reassuringly.

"Lux?" When Lux didn't look at her, Cate tried again. "Lux, it's me. It's Cate. Can you look at me?"

Lux slowly lifted her head to look at Cate, her lip quivering furiously, and Cate smiled at her. "Do you want to come out?"

Lux shook her head but her crying dimmed a little. "Okay." Cate nodded and slowly climbed into the closet to sit beside her.

Cate had no idea how long they sat there, but slowly and surely, Lux grew tired, her eyes drooping. "Come on." Cate whispered, climbing out and holding out her hand to Lux.

Lux took it, and allowed Cate to help her out. Cate smiled at her and picked her up, not caring that she was wet. Cate carried Lux to the bathroom, quickly running a bath and helping Lux undress.

Hesitantly, Lux climbed in but only after Cate had put in enough bubbles that her skin below the water could not be seen. Cate sat down on the outside of the bathtub, watching as Lux simply sat there.

After a while, Cate smiled at her and grabbed a towel. "Are you ready to get out?" Lux nodded, and Cate wrapped the towel around her, lifting her out of the tub, and gently rubbing her dry.

She carried a towel-clad Lux back to her room and handed her another t-shirt to put on while she made the bed with fresh sheets.

Lux watched her fascinated. The last time she wet the bed, her foster mother slapped her hard enough to make it hurt to sit for days after.

"Come here." Cate whispered as she picked Lux up and tucked her under the covers. "Do you want me to stay?"

Lux nodded hesitantly. There was something about Cate, something that was wearing her down, breaking through her walls.

Cate smiled, brushing back a piece of Lux's hair before standing up and quickly changing into her own pajamas.

As hard as Lux tried to stay awake, her eyes drooped closed and she fell asleep before Cate had even finished brushing her teeth. Cate smiled as she came back into the room, turning off the light and climbing into bed next to Lux.

* * *

Cate groaned and shifted in her bed, waking up slowly. She turned on her side and was fully awake when she saw the bed was empty beside her.

Cate climbed out of bed quickly and threw on her nightgown, walking down the hallway and smiling when she spotted Lux sitting on the couch, watching cartoons.

"Good morning." Cate spoke gently, leaning against the doorframe and smiling as Lux looked up at her.

Lux didn't reply, instead choosing to simply shift over to the side of the couch to make room for Cate to sit.

Cate smiled wider and slowly sat down beside Lux, placing a hand on the back of Lux's head comfortingly. "You're up early. Are you hungry?"

Lux nodded and followed Cate into the kitchen, taking a seat at the table. Cate went to the cupboard, glad she still ate like a five year old.

Cate led Lux back to the living room after dishing out two bowls of sugar cereal, and making a coffee for herself and a juice for Lux.

"What are we watching?" Cate asked as they ate.

Again, Lux didn't speak but nodded towards the TV and smiled slightly. Cate sighed, Lux still wasn't talking, and according to Fern she hadn't since being admitted to the hospital, but Cate couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

After they had finished eating, Cate got Lux dressed in a blue dress which had been in her backpack. Lux scrunched up her face at the dress, making a "yuck" sound, and Cate laughed, making a mental note to by Lux some clothes other than dresses, no matter how cute Lux might look in them.

They climbed in the car shortly after, heading to the mall. Cate was happy it was a week day, it meant less crowds until work and school let out in the afternoon.

Cate and Lux walked hand in hand through the mall, Lux looking around in awe and Cate smiling at the little girl's amazement.

Cate figured they would cover beds first, and couldn't help but laugh as they arrived in the bedding area and Lux ran from bed to bed, touching each. A store attended came over to help Cate, and she spoke with him for a few minutes before calling Lux back over, her eyes never drifting from the small blonde. "Lux! Come here for a sec."

Lux walked back over to Cate, smiling contagiously. Cate squatted down in front of her and took her hands, surprised but happy when Lux didn't flinch. "Which is your favorite?"

Lux grabbed Cate's hand without thinking and dragged her over to a boys' single race car bed, making both Cate and the attendant laugh. "This one? Really?" Lux nodded and Cate pointed to the pink girls' bed beside it, raising an eyebrow. "Not something more like that?"

Lux scrunched up her face disgusted and shook her head before carefully climbing onto the edge of the bed she had chosen and looking at Cate. Again, Cate laughed but nodded. "If you're sure?" She asked again. "You're not going to change your mind when we get home?"

Lux shook her head and Cate took her hand, leading her over to the counter. The cashier ran up the purchase and Cate froze, remembering.

**"What about this one?" Baze asked as a three month pregnant Cate followed him.**

**They had skipped school to go look at baby supplies, still torn on what they were going to do. They had separated at first, to look in different areas in case someone they knew saw them together, but had eventually joined back up to look at cribs.**

**Cate picked up the price tag, rolled her eyes and put it back down. "It's $300. I don't have $300."**

**"I could charge it." Baze offered. He had no idea how to do this; be there for Cate and their son or daughter.**

**Again Cate rolled her eyes and moved to the next one, looking at the tag. "And how are you going to explain a $300 baby crib to your parents?"**

**"They're going to find out some time. Even if you don't choose to keep it, they're going to find out somehow."**

**Cate looked up at him, annoyed. "If **_**I**_** don't?"**

**Baze looked at her apologetically and stumbled over his words. "Uh, I meant we. It's still new, Cate. I'm not meant to be a dad at sixteen."**

**"And you think I want to be a mom? I'm sixteen too. I have a life too. One that's now screwed."**

**"Hey, you're life isn't screwed. If we give it up, we can go back to normal. And if we keep it, we'll figure it out."**

**Cate groaned, throwing down the last price tag. "We can't figure out how to make enough money to provide for a kid **_**and **_**still go to school. Plus how is everyone going to react when they find out? Our parents, teachers, the team?"**

**Baze stopped and looked at her confused. "So, what? You're saying we should give it up for adoption?"**

**Cate shrugged. "I don't know, Baze."**

"Excuse me, ma'am?" The store attendant spoke, tearing Cate out of her thoughts.

Cate looked up, embarrassed. "Oh! I'm sorry."

Cate paid for the bed and organized for it to be delivered and set up later that afternoon. She knew she shouldn't be buying big things for Lux, permanent things. Fern had suggested a few pieces of clothing, obviously food, and to show Lux some affection, but not to get too attached. After all, it was only temporary.

Cate sighed, but looked down at Lux and realized she should be enjoying the time she had with the young girl rather than dwelling on what was to come. "What do you want to do now?"

Lux shrugged in response, and looked forward, the two walking hand in hand. They ended up in the girl's clothing section of an expensive department store, and Cate let Lux pick out a few items she liked, while picking out a few of her own for the blonde as well.

"What about this one, Lux?" Cate asked, holding up a white and pink polo top. Lux shrugged and Cate rolled her eyes, holding to item up to picture it how cute it would look on Lux.

**"Cate?" Baze asked as he pushed open her bedroom door. Cate's mother had been passed out on the couch so Abby had let him in, slightly surprised and very annoyed when he said he was there for Cate and not her.**

**Cate lay sprawled out on the bed, watching TV. She looked up surprised and slightly embarrassed when Baze walked in, a small shopping bag in his hand.**

**At almost eight months pregnant, she looked a wreck. Luckily it was summer break leading to her spending the last couple of weeks doing nothing but sleeping, eating and counting down the days.**

**Baze smiled slightly, unsure, as he stood in the threshold of the door. He hadn't seen her in a few weeks and it almost scared him how big she was.**

**"Hi." Cate said, attempting to push herself up in bed. "Come in."**

**Baze closed the door behind him and walked over to the bed, taking a seat on the end. "Hey. Uh- you look... how are you doing?"**

**"I look like a fat cow." Cate finished for him. "But I'm okay. How are you?"**

**Baze shrugged. "You know, pretty good. How's..." He trailed off, nodding to Cate's stomach.**

**Cate smiled slightly and rubbed her stomach gently. "She's good."**

**"That's good."**

**They stood in an awkward silence for a few moments before Baze cleared his throat and lifted the bag. "Oh, I, uh, I got you something. Well I got her something."**

**Cate smiled at him and accepted the bag, opening it and pulling out a baby pink onesie. "It's beautiful." Cate whispered, running her hand over the soft fabric. It was tiny, and it scared her that in a couple of weeks a baby, **_**her**_** baby, could fit into it.**

**Baze shrugged. "I saw it in a store and I figured that even if we aren't going to keep her, we should at least give her something, you know?"**

**Cate nodded, still staring at the tiny piece of clothing. Her eyes pooled with tears and as hard as she tried to hold them back, she lost the battle quickly, her tears turning into full blown crying.**

**Baze stood up, nervous. "I-I'm sorry. I thought you would like it."  
**

**Cate looked up at him. "No, it's not that. It's amazing, **_**you're **_**amazing. But I don't know if I can do this." She paused, sniffling. "Give her up."**

**Baze sat back down closer to Cate, not knowing what to say so just watching her cry instead. "It's your decision." He finally settled on. "But whatever you decide, I'll support you."**

Cate flashed back to reality as Lux pulled on her pants. She looked down at the young girl and smiled, reaching down to pick her up and carry her over to the counter to pay for the clothes.

She couldn't stop thinking that it could have been different, this could have been _her_ daughter she was carrying, _her_ daughter she was buying things for, _her_ daughter she couldn't help but love.


	5. You Found Me

**Chapter 5- You Found Me**

Cate set Lux up in front of the TV with her new toys while she went about setting up her room. After three hours of shopping, Cate had gone way over board with buying things for Lux, but for some reason, she couldn't help herself.

Lux was different, there was something about her, that Cate had fallen in love with instantly.

Cate had the delivery men set up Lux's bed and position her new furniture. She was sorting through Lux's clothes, placing them in her wardrobe when Lux entered the room, sitting on the edge of the bed and watching as Cate unpacked.

Cate smiled at her. "Movie finished?"

Lux nodded, grabbing a teddy bear Cate had bought for her and hugging it close. She was tired, but she wanted to stay awake to be with Cate.

"Do you want to help me then?"

Lux nodded and smiled slightly, climbing off the bed and standing beside it. She thought for a minute before picking up the bag she had brought with her from her last foster home and tipping its contents out on the bed.

Cate watched her, fascinated as Lux picked up one thing at a time, placing it carefully in its own special position. There was a lot of random objects in the bag; shells from the beach, small worn toys, various drawings, a children's book, and a necklace, one Cate recognized instantly.

She paled, unable to stop herself as she walked forward and picked it up, her hands shaking. It was a small gold engraved pendant hanging on a thin gold chain, and Cate knew what it said without reading it.

**Cate groaned, shifting a little in the uncomfortable hospital bed, trying to catch her breath. She looked at Baze next to her; he was almost as scared as she was and looked as though he would pass out any minute. But he was there, and that was all that mattered.**

**Cate leaned backwards, panting helplessly as she felt another excruciating contraction rip through her abdomen. Baze paled a little more, wiping Cate's forehead with a damp washcloth.**

**She had been in labor for seven hours, seven excruciating hours, and all she wanted was for it to be over. Cate moaned a little, the pain from yet another contraction taking over her body.**

**She had done a lot of research beforehand, they both had, and even though there was no evidence that an epidural would do any damage to the baby, Cate didn't want to risk it. That was, until about half an hour ago when she had changed her mind, only to be told by the doctor that she was almost 9cm dilated and that it was too late.**

**Cate gritted her teeth, shifting uncomfortably as another contraction overtook her and the doctor entered the room.**

**He smiled at them, going to the end of the bed to check Cate's cervix. "Good girl. Almost there."**

**Cate nods, looking up at Baze. He smiles at her a little, his eyes filled with anticipation, excitement and nervousness.**

**She grunts, and Baze can't help but press a kiss to her head, hoping to ease a least a little of the pain he helped cause.**

**Cate's mom isn't there, neither is Abby or Baze's parents. They had told them, of course, but Cate's mom was too drunk, Baze's parents refused to be there and neither Cate nor Baze wanted Abby there. This was something they had to do, they wanted to do, together.**

**Baze is a little shocked when Cate suddenly grunts and curls forward, squeezing his hand tightly.**

**The doctor smiles at her. "You're ready to start pushing now, Cate."**

**Cate grits her teeth, ignoring him as her body takes over. Cate's crying as she starts to push, and wails as the contraction dies down.**

**"Good girl." The doctor encourages her but neither Cate nor Baze are paying him any attention.**

**Baze stares at her as she bares down again, amazed. He's terrified, but he moves so that he can massage her back. She looks up at him and smiles a little before her face once again contorts in pain.**

**"You're doing so good, Cate." He doesn't sound like himself, but his assurances are helping Cate so he continues.**

**"Nathaniel, do you want to get behind Cate and help prop her up?" Baze looks up at the nurse shocked, but she continues to prop her Cate's legs and he realizes that it was more of an order than a question.**

**Baze glances down at Cate for approval but she isn't looking at him, so he does as the nurse says, and Cate grasps his hands, baring down and moaning deeply.**

**"The heads almost out, Cate."**

**Baze looks up at the doctor shocked, but notices Cate just continues to concentrate.**

**Cate's face goes red as she pushes, and Baze bites his lip to take his mind off of the splitting pain going through his hands as she squeezes them.**

**She stops, panting, and falls heavily back onto his chest as the contraction ends. Baze strokes a few pieces of hair back from her face, wiping away her tears and pressing a kiss to the top of her head as she gasps.**

**The doctor narrates what is happening but neither Cate nor Baze are listening. Cate screams as she pushes, and Baze watches in amazement as the baby slowly but surely makes its way out of her body.**

**With one final push, a small scream sounds to match Cate's, and Cate begins to cry harder, leaner back against Baze.**

**"It's a girl!" The doctor exclaims but Cate isn't listening. Baze on the other hand, smiles a little. He had secretly always wanted a daughter. **

**The cord is cut and the baby is cleaned up before the nurse brings her over to the parents, intending to pass her to Cate.**

**Cate shakes her head no, crying and turning away. Baze looks at her concerned, as does the nurse and doctor, but eventually the nurse brings the baby over to Baze.**

**Baze looks petrified as the baby is placed in his arms and awkwardly holds her to his chest, sitting beside Cate. Cate turns a little more and watches as the baby's cries dull.**

**Cate refuses again when Baze tries to hand her the baby, so instead he climbs up onto the bed beside her, baby in arms.**

**The new parents watch the baby in amazement as the doctor and nurse leave the room. The social worker had given them an hour; to meet their daughter, to bond, and to say goodbye.**

**"She has your eyes." Cate acknowledges causing Baze to smile. "I always liked your eyes."**

**"Do you want to hold her?" Baze tries again hopefully.**

**Cate shakes her head no, her eyes filling with tears. "If I hold her," She whispers. "I'll want her. And I can't want her."**

**Baze nods understandably. He shifts the baby so that she's supported by only one arm causing Cate to freak out a little and her hands to hover under the baby's head.**

**Baze pulls out something from his pocket, handing it to Cate so he can support the baby properly.**

**Cate takes the necklace, turning it over and running her finger over the inscription, crying the second she does. **_You'll Always Be Our Baby Girl. Love Mommy and Daddy._

Cate quickly swiped at the tears streaming down her face, looking up to find Lux starring at her nervously.

"That's mine." Lux whispered, and Cate looked both shocked and happy. Lux took the necklace out of Cate's hand, gripping it tightly to her chest. "My mommy and daddy gave it to me."

Cate's tears started all over again and she knelt down in front of Lux, pulling the nervous little girl into her arms. "I'm sorry, Lux. I'm so sorry.


	6. I Shall Believe

**A/N: Okay so Baze gets to meet Lux! Yay! Clearly Baze is more responsible in this story than he is in the show so he's in college but still owns the bar.**

**Chapter 6- I Shall Believe**

"Come on, come on, pick up." Cate mumbled as she paced back and forth in the living room, phone to her ear and a hand on her hip.

She had put Lux to bed an hour ago and had been dialing and redialing two familiar numbers repeatedly, not getting an answer from either.

"_The Sunrise Social Services office is now closed. Office hours are between 8 and 5."_

Cate sighed, hanging up the phone and collapsing on the couch. Fern she could understand, after all, it was after 8pm. But Baze…

As if on cue, the phone began to ring and Cate looked at it suspiciously. "Hello?" She answered surprised.

"Uh, hi, you've been trying to call me?" Baze asked confused, obviously not recognizing Cate's voice or number.

"Baze…" Cate breathed out, pausing before continuing. "It's Cate. I found her." She whispered.

Cate knelt in front of Lux, buttoning up her fluffy pink coat. She looked adorable, as per usual, in her white cotton tights, pink skirt and pink and white top. She wore black dress shoes and had a pink headband perfectly situated over her blonde curls.

Cate had picked out the outfit of course, wanting her to look her best, and Lux hadn't let her forget it, constantly scrunching up her face and shaking her head no when Cate told her she looked good.

"There. You look so beautiful." Cate smiled as Lux once again shook her head.

"I hate pink." Lux grumbled, folding her arms over her chest.

Cate laughed, standing up and taking Lux's hand to lead her out to the car. "I know you do, baby, but you look so cute." She gushed as she buckled Lux into the car seat.

"Why do I have to wear a girl clothes today anyway?" Lux whined, frustrated. Since she had first spoken the previous night, Cate had barely been able to shut Lux up, not that she was complaining.

Cate smiled back at her through the rear view mirror. "Because it's a special day."

"Why?"

"Because you're going to meet one of my friends, and then we have a meeting with Fern."

Lux once again folded her arms and grumbled though Cate couldn't make out what she was saying.

They pulled up outside Oregon State University half an hour later and Cate picked Lux up out of her car seat, carrying her up the stairs as the previously talkative girl laid her head against Cate's shoulder shyly.

Cate spotted him immediately, freezing in her path. He looked the same, well relatively the same at least, and she mentally kicked herself for concentrating more on Lux's outfit than her own.

Baze stood nervously at the top of the icy steps, hands in his back pockets. He had never expected this to happen; of course, in the back of his mind he had always wanted it but he never believed seeing his daughter again could truly happen. Or seeing Cate again.

Baze's eyes met Cate's and he smiled at her nervously before starring at the little girl on her side. She didn't look like either of them; hell, she had blonde hair, but if Cate knew it was her, then it was her.

"Hi." Cate was the first to speak, walking up the steps to stand in front of the frozen Baze. She smiled at him nervously, wrapping her arms around Lux a little tighter when the girl turned into her more, avoiding Baze's stare.

Baze tore himself back to Cate. "Hi." They stood awkwardly before Baze spoke up again. "So this is…"

"Oh!" Cate exclaimed, looking down at Lux and smiling reassuringly. "This is Lux. Lux, can you say hi to my friend?"

Lux looked at her nervously before turning to face Baze. His heart began to race, both at the fact that he was looking face to face with his daughter, and the bruises that covered her body. He cleared his throat, smiling at her after recovering. "Hi, Lux." The words felt so right coming from his mouth.

"Hi." Lux whispered.

Baze smiled at her nervously. "My name's Baze."

Lux paused and looked at him confused. "That's a weird name." She finally commented.

Baze laughed. "Yeah. It is. I like your name."

"Thank you." Lux blushed, looking at Cate. She wriggled in Cate's arms, signaling that she wanted to get down and Cate obliged, gripping Lux's hand. "I need to go to the bathroom." Lux whispered to Cate, crossing her legs.

"Oh, okay." Cate looked around, failing to spot any bathrooms. "Do you know..."

"Yeah, come on." Baze began to walk but stopped and looked down when he felt a small hand in his own.

Lux looked up at him, confused at his expression. Lux's hand felt so small in his hand, yet so perfect. Baze smiled, looking over at Cate who's expression was exactly the same.

Cate parked in the parking lot of social services later that afternoon, having agreed to meet Baze there. Baze was already waiting by the door, and Cate carried Lux over to him.

"Hey." She smiled. Lux grinned, leaning out towards Baze. Baze picked her out of Cate's arms, playfully swinging her around as she laughed.

It amazed Cate how easily Lux had opened up to Baze, bonding instantly. Cate couldn't help but feel jealous, and when Baze noticed this, Lux was reluctantly placed back in her arms.

"Hi, Cate." Fern greeted them as the three walked into her office. "Hello, Lux."

Lux smiled at her shyly, hiding behind Cate. "Hi, Fern." Cate greeted her politely, more nervous than she had ever been before. "This is Nathaniel Bazile."

Baze held out his hand, Fern shaking it. "Nice to meet you." Clearly, Baze was nervous too.

"Have a seat." Cate got Lux settled in the corner with some toys before taking a seat opposite Fern, Baze by her side. "So, Cate, what can I help you with today? I apologize but I don't have much time so we'll have to make this quick."

"Uh... that's okay. That's fine. I-" She looked at Baze quickly. "We were wondering if you have found anything new regarding Lux's birth parents."

"I'm sorry I haven't." She looked confused. "I don't think I understand. Mr. Bazile, you are..."

"We want to take a DNA test." Cate interrupted, looking at Lux before Baze then finally Fern. "We think we might be Lux's birth parents."


	7. To Wish Impossible Things

**Chapter 7- To Wish Impossible Things**

"I'm sorry," Fern started. "You think you might be Lux's birth parents?"

Cate looked between Lux, Baze and Fern. "Lux's birthday is April 18, 1994. I- we had a daughter on April 18, 1994. County General Hospital, the same place Lux was born. And we gave her up for adoption. Just like Lux was. Plus she has his eyes." Cate pointed at Baze. "And the necklace! Lux has a necklace that her birth parents gave her, and we gave that exact same necklace to our baby."

Fern held up her hand to cut Cate off before she could ramble any further. Cate instinctively reached over and gripped Baze's hand as Fern began to speak. "Cate, it's perfectly understandable for a person, especially a woman, who has given their child up for adoption, to be overcome with guilt. I think this is what is happening with you and Lux. You've compiled a few coincidences and turn them into something more. But I'm afraid you're becoming too attached to Lux this fast."

Cate's eyes filled with tears and she looked longingly at Lux before looking back at Fern. "She's my daughter. I know she is. And it's not just because there are a few _coincidences_. I can feel it." She gripped her hand to her chest for emphasis. "Please... just let us do the DNA test."

Fern sighed. "Cate, what happens if we do the test, and the results prove that you, and Nathaniel, aren't Lux's biological parents?" Her question was more rhetorical leading Cate and Baze to stay silent as Fern continued. "Whether you want to believe it or not, your relationship with Lux would change as a result. Considering what you've come to talk to me about today, I'm afraid I believe it's in Lux's best interest to find her another home."

Lux looked up, sensing something was wrong. She grabbed her teddy she had brought with her and walked over to stand between Cate and Baze, before climbing onto Cate's lap and cuddling into her.

Cate smiled at her through tears, placing a kiss to the top of her head before resting her cheek there.

"Please." Baze spoke up. "If you're going to move her anyway, what harm would it do?"

Fern thought about it for a few seconds, looking between the three. Finally, she sighed. "The state won't pay for the test, but if you get the money, I'll make sure it gets approved."

Cate's face lit up, as did Baze's, and she nodded furiously. "We'll get the money."

Fern smiled despite her reservations regarding the idea. "Okay. Bring Lux to the hospital this afternoon. I'll organize for a court order and a doctor to do the test."

"Thank you." Cate smiled through tears, kissing Lux's head and squeezing Baze's hand.

"But Cate, if the test comes back negative, proving that you are not Lux's biological mother, I will have to find her another foster placement."

Cate nodded slowly, looking down at Lux. On one hand, she was risking losing her, but on the other, she was risking gaining so much more. "She's my daughter."

"Okay." Fern sighed. "I'll see the three of you in a few hours."

Cate stood up with Lux and hugged Fern thank you, before exiting the office. Baze shook Fern's hand and followed but stopped at the door and looked back in. "What made you change your mind?" He asked, genuinely curious.

Fern thought for a few seconds before replying. "A mother usually knows there child."

Cate, Baze and Lux headed to the hospital the second they had finished lunch. Baze led them through the entrance, and Lux gripped tightly to Cate, suddenly silent.

Cate rubbed her back comfortingly as she walked. She knew it was because Lux was scared, and to tell the truth, Cate felt the same. The only times Cate had been to the hospital before were her daughter's birth, and to pick up Lux. Besides that, she avoided it at all costs.

They met up with Fern at admin, and she introduced them to the doctor who would do the test, leading them into an exam room.

"We're doing the right thing, right?" Cate spoke both to herself and to Baze.

Baze didn't answer, instead choosing to place a hand on Cate's shoulder.

"Okay." The doctor announced as he and a nurse came back into the room. He put on a pair of gloves and smiled as he held out a cotton bud. "Open up."

He took Baze's sample first, followed by Cate's. When it came Lux's turn, the little girl gripped Cate's top tightly and closed her eyes, hesitant to open her mouth.

Cate smiled at her, rubbing her back comfortingly. Finally, Lux opened up and the doctor took a swipe. "That wasn't too bad now, was it?" He smiled at Lux.

Lux shook her head no and shyly hid in Cate's jacket. The doctor smiled at her as the nurse exited the room with the swabs. "We should have the results in some time this afternoon, if the lab isn't too busy, and I'll call Ms. Walters to inform her."

Cate nodded, standing up and placing Lux on the ground beside her, taking her hand. Baze took her other hand and shook the doctor's. "Thank you."

The doctor nodded, exiting the room. Cate, Baze and Lux followed, walking slowly down the hallway.

"Well, Lux, what do you say we go get some ice cream and go to the park?" Baze questioned.

Lux nodded enthusiastically, making both adults laugh. As they had done the other day, the three headed to the same ice cream parlor before heading to the same park.

Lux ran onto the playground and Cate and Baze took a seat where they could watch her, both enjoying the silence. "So, how have you been?" Cate broke the silence first. "I'm sorry we didn't really get a chance to talk earlier."

"No, that's okay. I've been good, you know. School's been insane."

"Oh, yeah? What are you studying?" It felt weird asking about school when they were watching a child that could be there daughter.

"Business. Accounting to be exact."

Cate laughed. "So your dad finally got to you, huh?"

"Well what about you, hot shot? This is Morning Madness with Cate and Ryan." He mocked and she hit him playfully.

"Hey! Not fair!" She laughed. "But it's a good job. I like it. And Ryan is great."

"Ryan, huh? Boyfriend?"

Cate rolled her eyes. "Not even close. We're just friends. What about you? Do you have someone special in the picture?" Baze laughed in response. "Well I guess we're both just sad, single people then." Cate laughed too.

A comfortable silence overcame them again, and they sat watching Lux play, before Baze spoke up seriously. "I believe you, you know? About Lux. I know she's our girl too."

Cate smiled. "I like that. Our girl." She finally whispered.

"Me too." Baze smiled.

Cate moved leant over, resting her head on his shoulder as Baze wrapped an arm around Cate. They sat in silence until Cate's phone rang and she sat up abruptly. "Can you get Lux?" She whispered to Baze before answering. "Hello?"

"_Cate?_" Cate recognized Fern's voice instantly.

"Fern, hi."

Cate could practically hear Fern smiling on the other end. "I guess you were right. DNA tests prove that Lux is your, and Nathaniel Bazile's, biologically daughter."

Baze walked over to the playground, spotting Lux instantly. "Lux? Time to go, kiddo." She giggled when she saw him watching her and ran into the jungle gym, hiding.

Baze smirked, following her playfully. Lux squealed when he spotted her, and Baze laughed, picking her up easily and throwing her over his shoulder as she continued to giggle.

They walked back over to Cate who was now standing, tears streaming down her cheeks but a happy smiled plastered on her face. "Thank you, Fern. Thank you so much!"

Lux wiggled out of Baze's arms and he placed her on the ground. Cate hung up and Lux immediately ran into her arms. Cate picked her up, hugging her tightly as Baze came over. "She's ours." Cate smiled to Baze.

Baze's face broke into a smile and he stepped closer. "Are you serious?"

Cate grinned through tears, kissing Lux's head. "Your ours."

Lux looked confused but giggled as Baze wrapped his arms around Cate, squashing her in the middle.

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update! So Lux is definitely Cate and Baze's! Yay! Next few chapters involve more Lux/Cate/Baze bonding, reinstating parental rights, and Cate and Baze's families find out! Please review :)**


	8. You Call It Madness But I Call It Love

**Chapter 8- You Call It Madness (But I Call It Love)**

Cate placed a glass of wine down in front of Baze before taking a seat beside him on the couch. They had put Lux to bed a few hours ago and had been talking since then.

"Thanks." Baze smiled as Cate sat down. She looked different, older, mature, but nonetheless just as beautiful as she had the last time Baze saw her.

Cate blushed slightly, noticing Baze watching her. She pushed a piece of long curly brown hair behind her ear and turned so that she was face to face with him.

"So how are your mom and Abby? Last time I heard Abby was going to be a therapist."

Cate looked at him confused. "Yeah, you know, they're fine. Mom's... mom," Baze nodded understandably. "But Abby did go into Psychology. She just finished her first year at NYU. You keep in touch with her?"

Baze laughed. "No, no, Math updated me. For some reason he seems to know everything about you."

"Math?" Cate asked laughing slightly. "Wow, I haven't seen him in so long. So you guys are still friends huh?"

"Yeah, he's studying to become a teacher."

"Really?" Cate laughed as Baze nodded. "Now that I can see."

Baze smiled, enjoying seeing Cate smile. "What about you? Do you keep in touch with anyone?"

Cate shrugged, looking down at her glass. "No, not really. It was just easier to move on, you know."

Baze nodded understandably, abandoning all reservations and placing a hand on Cate's shoulder making the brunette look at him. "We got her back, Cate."

Cate nodded and smiled at him. "How are we going to tell her?" She asked after a few seconds.

Baze shrugged. "I don't know. It's gotta be a lot for her." They settled into a comfortable silence, both of their thoughts on Lux. Finally, Baze broke the silence. "What happened to her, Cate? The bruises, the cast?"

Cate shuttered instinctively, crossing her arms across herself protectively. "She was beaten." Cate whispered. "That's what Fern said. Her foster dad had apparently been hurting her for a while and when he finally went too far, she ended up in hospital."

She looked up at him, her eyes filling with tears. Baze looked furious, but softened at Cate's expression. He cupped the side of her face and smiled. "How about the zoo?" He suggested, changing the subject. "What kid wouldn't want to find out who their parents are at the zoo?"

"Sure." Cate nodded, both of them laughing.

"Cate?" Cate and Baze turned towards the door, smiling when they saw Lux standing there in her pajamas, gripping her teddy tightly.

Cate waved for Lux to come over, shifting over on the couch to make room for her. "Come here, baby girl."

Lux tiredly walked over and climbed onto the couch between them. Cate wrapped her arms around Lux from behind, hugging her tightly. "What are you still doing up? It's late."

Lux shrugged, snuggling closer to Cate and away from Baze. Both Cate and Baze noticed this, and exchanged a concerned glance. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Again Lux shrugged, closing her eyes. Cate kissed the top of her head, wrapping her arms around her tighter. It surprised her how fast her maternal instincts had taken over, and Baze smiled as he thought the same thing.

Lux was asleep again almost immediately, and Baze and Cate sat in comfortable silence, watching her sleep.

After a while, Baze smiled at Cate. "Maybe we should get her back to bed?" He suggested.

Cate nodded, smiling at his fatherly side. He lifted Lux easily and the three walked into her room, tucking her into bed and kissing her forehead goodnight.

Baze and Cate walked back out into the living room and began to pack away the glasses and empty takeaway containers.

"Oh, you don't have to do that!" Cate said as Baze began to wash the dishes.

Baze shook his head. "No, it's fine."

"Okay." Cate smiled, not arguing with the sight she had of Baze's perfectly fitting jeans.

Baze smirked at her. "Like the view?"

Cate blushed furiously. "Oh! I-uh..." She turned quickly, pretending to clean the table and making Baze laugh.

Once they were finished cleaning, the two made their way to the front door, standing awkwardly in front of it. "You know, it's late, and you've had a few drinks. I mean, you could always stay tonight."

Baze smirked at her and again Cate blushed, looking down. "I-uh, I mean I could set up the couch..."

Baze nodded, smiling. "Sure. That'd be great."

Cate prepared the couch quickly, and stood awkwardly before Baze. "Right... well, uh, the bathroom's down the hall, and if you need anything..."

"Thanks, Cate." Cate smiled and nodded, blushing. "I mean it."

"Okay... Well... good night."

Baze smirked, slightly amused he could still make Cate nervous. "Good night, Cate."

Cate smiled at him once more before walking to her room. She stopped outside Lux's bedroom first, leaning against the doorway and smiling at the little girl, her daughter.

Lux giggled as she ran ahead, gripping the edge of the cage as she watched the penguins. They were her favorite, hence the fact that the family had ended up back at their exhibit for the third time that day.

Baze and Cate came up to her side and Baze lifted Lux up, balancing her on one shoulder.

After a few minutes, Baze looked over at Cate and she nodded nervously. "Hey, kiddo, what do you say we get an ice cream? Cate and I have something we want to talk to you about."

Lux nodded. "But we gotta come back when they eat. They're my favorite."

Cate and Baze laughed, agreeing as they led a reluctant Lux away from the penguins.

Lux had completely forgotten about the penguins by the time they were sitting on a bench, eating their ice creams.

Cate laughed as Lux managed to get ice cream over the majority of her face, and the small blonde scrunched up her face as Cate wiped it clean.

Baze watched the two of them smiling. Cate had fallen into the mothering role easily, as if she had been doing it forever.

As if sensing him watching, Cate looked up and smiled. "Lux, we wanted to talk to you about something." Cate started, turning her attention back to Lux.

Lux looked up at them expectantly, watching them curiously. Cate looked at Baze to continue, suddenly stuck for words. "Uh, Lux, remember how you told Cate that your mommy and daddy gave you your special necklace?"

Lux nodded slowly, confused. She gripped her necklace tightly; she hadn't taken it off since Cate had found it in her bag.

"I-uh..." Baze stuttered, unsure of what to say.

Cate looked at him before looking at Lux and taking her hand. "Lux, we gave you that necklace on the day you were born. We're your mommy and daddy."

Lux looked confused. "Nuh uh. My_ real_ mommy and daddy gave it to me. You're my for-now mommy. Fern told me."

Cate smiled, unable to stop herself when Lux called her 'mommy', even if Lux wasn't understanding.

Baze smiled too. "Lux, Cate and I are your real mommy and daddy. You're our daughter."

"Nuh uh." Lux giggled, shaking her head. "Fern told me I came from my mommy's tummy and she and my daddy loved me but couldn't keep me coz they didn't want to look after me."

Cate looked up at Baze, her eyes glassy with tears as she stroked back Lux's hair. "Lux... you came from _my_ tummy. I'm your mommy, and Baze is your daddy."

Lux looked between the two as she took in the new knowledge. After a few seconds, Lux moved closer to Cate and pointed to her stomach. "I came from your tummy?"

Cate nodded, smiling through tears. "Yeah, baby, you did."

"You're my real mommy?" Again, Cate nodded, smiling as Lux turned to Baze. "And you're my real daddy?"

Baze nodded, shrugging, and smiled nervously. Lux looked between the two, watching them unsure as she tried to figure out what to do next. "Okay." She finally whispered.

Baze and Cate looked at each other, confused as to whether Lux's response was a good thing. "Okay?" Baze asked.

Lux nodded and smiled adorably, climbing off of the bench. "Yeah. Okay." She confirmed, holding out her hand for Cate to take.

Cate smiled widely through tears, looking at Baze before taking the offered hand and standing up. Lux and Cate looked at Baze expectantly, and Lux gripped his hand as best she could with her broken one.

They walked back towards the penguins slowly, all three with matching smiles. "You promise you won't leave me again if I call you mommy and daddy?"

Cate and Baze stopped simultaneously, exchanging a look before squatting down in front of Lux, Cate pushing a piece of hair behind Lux's ear.

"Sweetheart, I promise you I will never leave you again." Cate whispered, silent tears streaming down her face. She looked at Baze who was looking at Lux. "_We_ will never leave you again."

Lux smiled nervously, slowly wrapping an arm around each of her parents' shoulders, knowing it was what they needed. Cate and Baze gripped her back tightly, Cate crying silently but happily into Lux's shoulder.

Baze smiled through his own tears, cupping the back of Lux's head. Finally, he placed a kiss to Lux's head, pulling back. Cate pulled back reluctantly a few seconds after and Lux giggled, wiping her cheek. "It's all sloppy."

Cate and Baze laughed and Baze picked her up, the three of them walking over to the penguins, a family.


	9. Simple Gifts

**A/N: Final 5 people! Yay! Please please please vote for LUX in eonline's Save One Show! And tweet #lifeunexpected! We're up against some pretty heavy competition hence the fact that I plan on not sleeping and constantly voting until the 12th!**

**Also, holy crap! GREATEST! EPISODE! EVER! I swear, this show just keeps getting better and better! And the last scene! How unbelievably perfect was that! And when Cate cried as Baze hugged her! Ahhhhh! I literally cried like four times and then watched it again and cried another four times!**

**So yeah, we only have one more episode to go and I'm fairly certain I'm going to go through an almost-deadly withdrawal after next week :( On the bright side, I have now bought every single thing that Shiri, Britt, Kris and Kerr have ever been in and that will hopefully be sufficient enough (with multiple reruns of LUX of course!) to get me to next season!... which brings us back to the first part of this author's note! Seriously, in the time it takes to read this, you could have voted 4+ times!**

**So that's the end of my A/N... sorry it's so long... I am on a massive caffeine/no sleep high! :) Please review coz it's a long chapter!**

**Chapter 9- Simple Gifts**

It had been a week since Cate and Baze had told Lux they were her parents, and things had been pretty great ever since. Lux had taken to calling them "mom" and "dad" after a few days hesitation, and Baze had slept on Cate's couch every night since, using the excuse that it was a way to make Lux more comfortable around them, but both of them knowing it was more than that.

Lux giggled as she and Baze hid from Cate behind a shelf, while Cate attempted to finish grocery shopping. She knew Baze would look after Lux, but she still didn't like it when her daughter was out of her sight.

"Lux?!" Cate called out as she looked around.

Seconds later, Cate turned around just in time to catch a giggling Lux as she barreled towards Cate's legs.

Cate picked her up and placed her in the trolley, looking around. "Where's your dad?"

Lux giggled, holding a finger to her lips as if it was a secret. "Okay." Cate laughed, nodding. "What do you want for dinner tonight?" She asked as she pushed the trolley, and Lux, into the frozen food section, stopping to pick up a few boxes. "Chicken fingers or noodles?"

Lux thought for a second. "Chicken fingers."

Cate laughed and nodded, placing a box of chicken fingers into the trolley and continuing to push it. Lux giggled loudly, causing Cate to look at her amused. "What?"

Lux laughed louder as Baze came up behind Cate, making faces. Cate turned around and smiled at him while Baze walked around to the front of the trolley and picked Lux up, throwing her around playfully.

"Hey, be careful." Cate warned.

Baze smirked at her, tickling Lux as the blonde laughed. "What do you think? Should we do that? Should we listen to mommy and be careful?"

Lux laughed. "No..."

After a few minutes, Baze placed Lux back in the trolley and took over pushing for Cate, the three walking slowly through the aisle as Cate checked off items on her list.

"So how many are we expecting tonight?" Baze asked curiously, sticking his tongue out at Lux jokingly.

Lux giggled and did the same while Cate answered. "Uh... Ryan and Alice, and Math and Jamie."

Baze nodded, raising an eyebrow. "You don't think we should invite your mom and Abby?"

Cate glared at him. "You don't think we should invite your parents?"

"Okay, okay, point taken." Baze laughed.

They made their way to the checkout, although it took a lot longer than usual as Baze let Lux load the items up one by one.

"You want to choose one, kiddo?" Baze pointed to the candy bars and Lux's face lit up.

Cate, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow at him. "Really? Before dinner?"

"What? I'll pay for it." He wrapped his arms around Lux, squeezing her tightly as she laughed. "And you'll eat all your dinner won't you, kid?"

Lux giggled and nodded furiously, both her and Baze looking at Cate with puppy dog eyes. "Fine." Cate finally gave in. "But if she gets a sugar high and doesn't eat some proper food, it's all on you."

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Baze spoke as Lux laughed and ran away from him around the house. Finally he picked her up and carried her back over to the table where her dinner was getting cold. "Mommy's getting nervous about tonight and daddy's going to get into trouble if he doesn't finish cooking and if you're sugar high doesn't crash soon."

Lux laughed and watched as Baze went over to the stove, stirring the ingredients and throwing a tea towel over his shoulder as Lux climbed off of the chair and ran to hide again, literally running into Cate's legs.

"Ow!" Cate yelled, causing Lux to freeze. Cate bent down in front of her and smiled at her apologetically. "Lux, baby, please come finish your dinner." Cate picked her up and carried her back over to the table. "Just two more bites, please."

Lux sat down reluctantly and did as she was told, Cate watching her from her position in the kitchen with Baze. "I told you this would happen."

Baze rolled his eyes. "Well at least she'll crash early tonight."

"I'm finished!" Lux called to them from the table and Cate went out to check. Sure enough, she had only eaten three chicken fingers and half of her salad. "Can I go play now?"

Cate sighed. "Sure. But stay inside, okay?"

"Okay." Lux climbed off of her chair and ran to the living room, picking up her toy penguin she had gotten at the zoo and her toy airplane as swinging them around the room.

Cate smiled at her, walking back into the kitchen and taking a long swig of her wine, Baze watching her amused. "You might want to slow down on that." Baze smirked.

Cate rolled her eyes, putting the glass down and leaning against the bench, watching him work. "I can't thank you enough for this, Baze."

"It's nothing." He smirked at her. "Plus, I'm not a big fan of food poisoning."

Cate glared at him with faux hurt, hitting his arm playfully before resuming her position. Baze looked at her concerned. "You nervous about tonight?"

Cate nodded. "Yeah, a little, you know. I just don't want them to think I'm a bad mom."

Baze stopped cooking, walking over to stand in front of Cate and taking her arms. "You are a great mom, Cate. You've only been doing this for a little over a week and your _daughter_ absolutely adores you. You're perfect."

Cate smiled, blushing slightly. Baze didn't let go, instead choosing to run his hand up and down Cate's arm. She looked at him tiredly before closing her eyes. "Tired?

"Yeah." She whispered and allowed Baze to turn her around, massaging her shoulders. "Lux's nightmares have kept me up most of the night."

Baze nodded understandably, rubbing Cate's shoulders soothingly, both lost in the moment.

Cate pulled away suddenly when the doorbell rang, blushing. Baze went back to cooking as Cate went to answer the door, both acting as though nothing had happened.

"Hey!" Cate smiled, throwing open the door.

Ryan smiled back, taking Cate into a hug as he walked into the room. "Hey, stranger. Long time no see." He joked.

Cate laughed, pulling back. "It's been a week, Ry."

"Which is too long in my opinion." Ryan smiled, clapping his hands together once and walking with Cate into the living room. "Now where is this little girl who's managed to keep you from work for almost two weeks."

Cate laughed, looking around. "Lux? Sweetie, where are you?"

She looked at Ryan confused before the two walked into the kitchen. "Oh, Ryan this is Baze, Lux's dad. Baze, this is Ryan."

Baze walked over to Ryan, smiling and holding out his hand. "Good to meet you, man."

"Likewise." Ryan smiled back, shaking his hand.

"Baze, have you seen Lux?"

Baze looked around as he went back to cooking. "Uh... I think she's in her room."

"Thanks." Cate led the way to Lux's room, knocking gently on the door and smiling as she opened it, Ryan following.

"Hey, baby." Cate smiled, whispering as she squatted down in front of Lux who sat on the floor playing with her Lego. "I want you to meet someone, okay?"

Lux nodded shyly, clinging onto Cate as she picked her up and carried her over to Ryan. "Lux, this is my friend, Ryan."

"Hi, Lux." Ryan smiled at her warmly, holding out his hand.

Lux giggled, shaking his hand. "Hi."

The doorbell rang again and Cate looked torn at what to do. "Hey, Lux, is that Lego you're playing with?" Ryan asked and Lux nodded proudly. "Could you show me what you're making while your mom goes and answers the door?"

Again, Lux nodded and wiggled out of Cate's arms, taking Ryan's hand and leading him over to the floor while Cate smiled at him thankfully before rushing off to answer the door.

By the time everyone had arrived, Lux had warmed to them all, laughing as she played hide-and-go-seek with Math.

They sat down for dinner, all falling into comfortable conversation as they ate, Lux sitting on Ryan's lap.

"So Baze, what do you do?" Alice asked casually, casting a side wards glance at Cate.

Baze gazed at Cate, smiling as she cleaned off Ryan's pasta off of Lux's face. "I-uh," He coughed embarrassed, turning to look at Alice. "I'm in school. But I own a bar with Jamie. Between that and Lux, I don't really have time for much else." He laughed.

Alice smiled. "So no girlfriend?"

Baze laughed nervously while Cate choked on what she was drinking, casting a warning glare at Alice and shaking her head no subtly. "Uh-I, no." He finally answered.

Alice nodded slowly, smirking as Cate nudged her side gently. "Don't!" She whispered, shaking her head once she was sure Baze wasn't watching.

Alice held up her hands in faux defeat. "I'm not saying anything." She whispered back.

Cate cleared her throat, blushing. "Who's ready for dessert?"

An hour later Lux was struggling to stay awake while Ryan read her a story on the couch. Cate and Alice were tidying up while Jamie, Math and Baze were talking at the table.

After they had finished cleaning, Alice went to sit at the table with the guys while Cate went to check on Lux. She bent down in front of the couch, smiling at Ryan as Lux's eyes drooped closed. "I think somebody's ready for bed." Ryan smiled.

Cate nodded, reaching out to pick up Lux. "Come on, sweetie." She whispered. "Say goodnight to Ryan."

Lux mumbled goodnight, cuddling into Cate. Cate carried her out to the kitchen, rubbing her back soothingly as Ryan followed. Baze stood up, taking Lux from Cate's arms. "I'll take her."

"Goodnight, Lux. It was nice meeting you." Again, Lux mumbled goodnight and the adults smiled.

"I'll be there in a minute." Cate smiled and Baze nodded, taking Lux to her room.

Baze tucked her into bed, sitting on the side of her bed. He bent over and kissed her forehead. "Sleep tight, princess." He whispered.

"Night, daddy." Lux mumbled barely audibly and Baze smiled, standing up and walking back into the living room.

Cate stood up immediately. "She okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine. Fast asleep." Baze smiled at how concerned she was as he took a seat.

"I'm just going to go say goodnight." Cate said, leaving no room for argument from any of the others.

Cate sat on the side of Lux's bed, watching her sleep peacefully. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at Lux's fading bruises and cast. "I wish so much I could go back, Lux." She whispered. "I wish you didn't have to go through what you did. But I promise you, baby, I will always be there for you." Cate bent over, placing a kiss to Lux's forehead and holding the position. "I love you so much, Lux." She whispered.

Lux shifted slightly, mumbling. "Love you, mommy."

Cate smiled widely, happy tears slipping down her cheeks. "Sleep tight, baby."

Cate walked out of the room, walking towards the group which now stood by the door. "Can I call anyone a cab?"

The group laughed and Ryan spoke up. "You're _that_ desperate for us to leave?"

"Of course not." Cate smiled, but said goodnight to each person anyway, Baze doing the same.

Once they had all left, Baze turned to Cate, both looking at each other unsure. "I should probably go..."

Cate nodded reluctantly. "Yeah... I mean, you're welcome to stay..."

"But I should probably try to catch up on some work." Baze was clearly reluctant too.

"Okay, then."

Baze smirked at Cate's awkwardness, pulling her into a hug. "Call me if you or Lux need anything, okay? And I'll be back tomorrow after class."

Cate nodded into his shoulder, holding him tightly. After a few minutes, a reluctant Baze pulled away. "Good night, Cate."

"Night. Drive safe." She smiled at him, leaning her head against the doorway and watching as he got into his car and drove off.


	10. We Are Family

**A/N: I will vote 100 times for every review I get on any of my LUX stories! So please review and keep voting! We need a second season!**

**Oh, and sorry if Baze's dad is a little out of character... in my defense, it is an AU**

**Chapter 10- We Are Family**

Lux tried her hardest to keep quiet as she opened Cate's bedroom door and slowly crept into her room. She climbed up onto the bed and giggled quietly when Cate groaned and shifted.

Lux carefully climbed on top of Cate and sat on her, holding the side of Cate's face and placing her nose against Cate's. "Wake up!"

Cate awoke with a start, still half asleep as she wrapped Lux in a hug and buried her under the covers. She groaned noticing it was only 6am.

"Hey, sweetie." Cate whispered and closed her eyes as Lux giggled, obviously wide awake.

Lux played with a piece of Cate's hair as she watched her mom try to go back to sleep. "Mommy?" She whispered.

"Hmm?"

Lux shifted slightly, curling up in Cate's arms. "How come daddy doesn't live with us?"

"Mmm... because daddy has his own house."

Lux sighed, wriggling. "How come? Mommy's and daddy's are supposed to live together."

Cate opened her eyes, looking at Lux intently. She looked curious but Cate couldn't tell if she was upset. "How about we go and see daddy's house today?"

"Really?" Lux asked, jumping up excitedly.

Cate laughed. "Only if you go back to sleep. It's too early."

Lux giggled and nodded, jumping back down and curling up under the covers, Cate's arms wrapped around her. She managed to stay still for almost a minute before she started laughing and wriggling. "Mommy, your feet are cold!"

Cate groaned, squeezing Lux tightly as the blonde giggled. "I guess that's a no to more sleep then."

"Daddy!" Lux screeched, running across the icy ground towards Baze despite Cate's warnings. Sure enough, she was on the ground in seconds.

Cate and Baze ran towards her, both surprised when Lux wasn't crying but was starring off into space. Any normal kid would have been screaming their lungs out, Lux on the other hand was acting as if she didn't notice.

"Oh, baby, I told you not to run." Cate said as she bent down beside Lux. Lux slowly looked at her, biting her lip. It was clear she was in pain, but she refused to let herself show it.

Cate and Baze exchanged a worried glance, both realizing that maybe her past had affected her more than they realized.

"We came to see your house." Lux finally said to Baze.

He smiled back at her, stroking back her hair. "Well then I guess we better go see it, huh?"

Lux smiled, silent tears now running down her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around Baze's neck and let him lift her up, carrying her back to his car.

He drove Lux to his bar, Cate following in her own car, and carried her inside when they arrived. Lux looked around in awe, and Baze smiled at Cate proudly.

They walked upstairs and Baze placed Lux on the counter while he rummaged through the medicine cabinet to find a bandage. Cate leaned next to Lux, playing with Lux's hair as she watched him.

"There we go, babe." Lux giggled as Baze placed a kiss to her now bandaged knee. "All better?"

Lux nodded enthusiastically, jumping into Baze's arms. He swung her around a few times before balancing her properly. "Can I go play?"

Baze laughed and nodded. "Sure, kiddo."

"Be careful." Cate called after her as she ran around the apartment, touching everything in sight.

Baze smirked at her. "You need to relax, Cate."

"Uh huh. And the fact that your apartment looks like it belongs to an overgrown man-child has no reason to make me worry more." She joked sarcastically.

"You want a drink?" Baze laughed.

Cate nodded, sitting down and watching Lux. "Sure. What do you have?"

"Upside of owning a bar, everything."

Cate laughed. "I'll have a sprite."

"Hey, Lux?" Baze called out, looking over to Lux who was playing with the eight-ball table. "Do you want a drink?"

Lux nodded enthusiastically. "Coke!"

Baze looked at Cate, both of them surprised. "Uhh... make that a sprite." Cate finally said.

Baze smirked, walking past Lux and ruffling her hair before walking down into the bar. "Stay here with your mom, kiddo."

He got the drinks quickly and was making his way back upstairs when the door opened. "We're closed!" Baze called out without looking around.

"Not to me you're not." Baze froze at the voice, slowly turning around.

He forced a smile. "Hi, dad."

"Daddy!" Lux ran down the stairs and into the bar, laughing, before Cate or Baze could stop her. She ran over to Baze and jumped into his arms, completely oblivious to the new arrival.

"Lux, I told you to stay upstairs." Baze continued to stare at his father as the older man stared back.

Cate came down a second later, apologetically. "I'm sorry, I couldn't stop-" She froze, spotting Baze's dad. "Mr. Bazile."

"Who are you?" Lux asked, scrunching her face up in confusion as if trying to decide if she liked him.

Mr. Bazile walked towards his son, recovering slightly from his initial shock. He looked furious, yet his face softened when he smiled at Lux. "How do you know my son?" He asked for clarification.

Lux giggled, oblivious to the overwhelming tension in the room. "He's my daddy." She said as if it was obvious.

Baze coughed, clearing his throat. "Uh, dad, this is Lux. My daughter." Mr. Bazile stared at him. "Uh, Cate, could you?"

He handed Lux over to Cate and Cate glanced one last glance at Baze and his father before disappearing upstairs.

"You have a daughter?" Mr. Bazile finally broke the silence.

Baze smiled proudly before quickly cowering under his father's gaze. "Uh, yeah, actually. Lux. With Cate. You know about her."

"That's the kid you had in high school?"

Baze looked at him angrily. "She's not a _kid._ She's my daughter. And yeah, we just got her back."

"We had an agreement!" Mr. Bazile shouted, slamming his fist down on the bar and startling Baze. "If the girl had the kid, you were not to be involved in its life. How do you expect to finish school now? And hold down a job? You're dreaming if you think I'm going to continue supporting you."

Baze stood in shock, stuck for words. Sure, his father and him had had a rocky relationship Baze's entire life, one that had only become rockier after Lux's conception, but he had never been this angry with him before.

"She's my daughter, dad." Baze finally said. "I'm going to find a way to support her and raise her like I've wanted to since the day she was conceived, whether you help me or not! I've missed out on four years of her life because of your influence over me. I don't care what you say, I'm not going to miss anymore."

Baze turned and began to walk back upstairs but turned when his father spoke. "You obviously haven't told your mother?" He sounded calmer.

Baze sighed. "We were going to wait until Lux was more comfortable with us."

"Bring her over tonight. Her mother too. I'd like to get to meet my granddaughter."


	11. Stay Together For The Kids

**A/N: So it's my birthday tomorrow... yay for age 17 :) anyway, my birthday wish is to have Cate and Baze as my parents! Unfortunately, it would never happen but hey, a girl can wish right? And even wishing beats my own parents who have decided an interstate business trip is more important than their daughter... hmm... I feel so loved...**

**On a happier note, thank you for all the wonderful reviews! You guys are amazing! And congratulations people, I'm pretty sure I now have carpel tunnel :( But I'm sure Liz Tigelaar and the cast will be happy too with the new 1800 votes for LUX! Once again, 100 votes per review to any of my LUX stories so please review!**

**Chapter 11- Stay Together For The Kids**

Cate stood up the second Baze walked back into his apartment, rushing towards him. "Baze, I am so sorry. I didn't know your dad was here and Lux... I'm so sorry."

Baze half-heartedly smiled at her, placing a hand on her arm. "It's fine, Cate." Cate was about to apologize again but Baze stopped her, moving his arm around her shoulders.

Cate sighed, leaning her head against his body as they slowly walked over to where Lux was playing.

Cate squatted down beside her and smiled. "What are you playing, babe?"

"Smash cars." Lux demonstrated, smashing two hot wheels cars together and making crash noises to go with it.

Cate laughed, standing up and walking over to where Baze now sat on the couch. "She's a four year old girl. Shouldn't she be playing with dolls or something?"

Baze smirked at Cate's frustration but didn't respond, instead choosing to simply watch Lux play. "Hey..." Cate's voice was thick with concern. "You okay?"

Baze looked at her and forced a smile. "My father wants us to have dinner tonight. The three of us and my parents."

"Oh." Cate sat up straight. "Baze, I don't know..."

Baze smiled at her, placing a hand on her shoulder, slightly amused at how scared his parents made her. "Yeah, I know. And trust me, if there was any way I could get out of it, I would, but he could take the bar..."

Cate smiled at him, seizing the moment and rubbing his arm comfortingly. "Yeah, I get it." She drew in a deep breath, looking at Lux before turning her attention back to Baze. "So what time do you need us ready?"

"Cate, you don't have to..."

"So six then?" Cate ignored him, standing up and walking over to Lux. "Hey baby, do you want to go to dinner at daddy's parents' house tonight?"

Lux nodded, hardly paying attention as she continued to play while Baze smiled, watching the two.

"Lux, please stand still for a minute." Lux continued to wriggle, scrunching her face up in disgust as Cate tried to get her to put on a dress. "Lux, please."

"I hate dresses." Lux mumbled, pouting as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"It's not a dress, babe, it's a skirt." Cate smirked slightly, amused at how cute Lux looked when she was upset.

Another ten minutes later, Lux was finally dressed though she wasn't happy about it.

Lux grumbled and pouted as Cate sent her out to the living room where Baze was waiting and Baze couldn't help but laugh when he saw her. He squatted down in front of Lux and twirled her side to side. "You look gorgeous, Lux."

And she did. Lux was dressed in baby pink leggings and black dress shoes under a short denim skirt. She had on a long sleeve pink and white top and a pink wrap sweater under her pink trench coat. Cate had also enhanced Lux's curls and loosely pinned them back under her pink beanie, a pink and brown scarf loosely wrapped around her neck.

Lux folded her arms again and shook her head making Baze laugh again. He picked her up and carried her over to the door, both waiting for Cate.

Though his parents hadn't said it was formal, knowing his parents he wore a dressy dark blue shirt and a tie over his jeans. Cate walked out to them minutes later and Baze couldn't help but stare.

She looked beautiful, as per usual, in a dressy red dress under a black coat with heels.

"Wow." Cate blushed as Baze stared. "You look..."

"Thanks." Cate smiled at him shyly.

Baze coughed, clearing his throat. "Let's, uh, let's get this over with."

He picked Lux up and the three walked out to Baze's car, driving to his parents house.

Lux shyly gripped to Baze as he carried her with one arm up the driveway, his other on Cate's back. They stopped at the door and Baze looked to Cate as if asking if she was ready.

Cate drew in a deep breath and nodded, but before Baze could knock, the door was thrown open and a women smiled brightly at them.

"Oh!" She gushed, stepping closer to Baze and reaching out to Lux.

Baze instinctively held Lux tighter, looking at his mother. "Uh, mom, this is Lux. My daughter." He looked at Cate and smiled. "_Our_ daughter."

"Oh, Nate, she's adorable. And she looks so much like you! Hi, Lux." His mother greeted, smiling widely while Lux hid her face in Baze's shoulder. "I'm your grandma."

"Uh, mom, you remember Cate?" Baze smiled towards Cate and squeezed her hand when his mother almost glared at her.

"Hello." Mrs. Bazile smiled tightly, clearly just being polite.

Cate smiled at her nervously. "Hi, Mrs. Bazile."

"Come in, come in." Mrs. Bazile smiled to his son and granddaughter and the three nervously followed her through to the living room where Mr. Bazile was waiting.

"Nate." Mr. Bazile greeted sharply. "And Miss. Cassidy."

Cate smiled at him politely. "Please, call me Cate." She drew in a deep breath. "Uh, I don't think you've been formally introduced. This is Lux, our daughter."

Lux looked up from Baze's shoulder and her mother's introduction. "Hello, Lux." Mr. Bazile greeted causing Lux to rest her head against Baze's shoulder as if trying to be closer to her dad.

Before anyone could say anything else, the doorbell rang and Cate and Baze looked up surprised. "Oh, that must be them now." Mrs. Bazile walked past them and towards the door, opening it and greeting the new guests.

Cate paled, recognizing the voices immediately and Baze noticed, wrapping an arm around her back. "You okay?" He whispered.

Before Cate could respond, Mrs. Bazile, Laverne and Abby rejoined the group, gushing over Lux. "Oh, it's like looking in a mirror!" Laverne smiled widely, reaching out to squeeze Lux's cheeks.

Abby scoffed and Cate looked at them in shock. "Mom?" She choked. "What are you doing here?"

"Baze's mom invited us, which is more than I can say for you." Abby answered.

Laverne took Lux out of Baze's arms before he could stop her and Cate stepped forward nervously. "You must be Lux!" Laverne gushed, bouncing her and causing both Cate and Baze to freak out a little. Lux remained quiet, staring at her parents. "I'm your grandma!"

"Mom." Cate warned, grabbing Lux as Lux reached out for her. "Give me my daughter." Her voice was filled with emotion and left the room silent.

Lux wrapped her arms tightly around Cate's neck as Cate rubbed her back soothingly.

"Why don't we get a drink and sit down? Dinner should be ready soon." Mrs. Bazile suggested, leading the women into the dining room while Baze stayed to talk with his father.

"Mommy?" Lux whispered and Cate smiled at her. "Can I go play?"

Cate nodded, placing Lux on the ground. "Just stay near me or daddy, okay?"

"Hey Lux, could I come play too?" Abby asked upon seeing Cate's reservations. Lux nodded shyly and Abby smiled at her, taking her hand and leading her out of the room.

"So Cate, I take it you're seeing my son now?"

Cate choked on her drink, blushing furiously. "I-uh- no. We're just friends."

"Have you decided the living arrangements now that Lux is involved? A child deserves to have both of her parents, even if they're too young to properly raise one."

Cate looked at her shocked, and even Laverne and Abby looked a little angry. "Excuse me? Who are you to judge me?"

Mrs. Bazile took a sip of her wine, looking at Cate intently. "When it involves my son, it involves me. Did you ever think that maybe Nate was better off not knowing he had fathered a child? He had his whole life ahead of him."

"He still does!" Cate stood up furiously, trying to keep herself calm. "Baze wanted to raise Lux. It was my choice to give her away in the first place. He never wanted to, and my decision was one we've both regretted ever since."

"And now that you have her back, how do you suppose she is better off with you? Two... _children_." She spat.

"How is she better off with us?" Cate repeated in shock. "We're her parents! In the four years she was in the foster care system, she has been through more hell than anyone should ever have to go through! How dare you accuse us of not putting our daughter's best interests first!"

"Don't you dare talk to me like that in my house."

"Alright, stop." Laverne spoke, stepping in between the two women. "Now we both agree that Lux was a mistake in the first place, but there is no reason why her life should be more screwed up."

Cate looked at her shocked. "Are you kidding me?"

"There's no reason why Lux isn't better off suited with someone more capable of looking after a child."

Cate laughed dryly, folding her arms across her chest. "Who, mom? Someone like you?"

"Why not? I've raised two perfectly normal girls and I'm willing to raise my granddaughter."

Mrs. Bazile laughed. "Clearly not, or one of them wouldn't have gotten knocked up at sixteen."

"Well your son obviously played a part too."

Cate threw out her hands, looking between them furiously. "Stop, okay! I get it! you don't approve. But nothing you say is going to change my mind, or Baze's, about raising Lux. She's our daughter."

Cate walked out of the room intent on finding Lux before the two mothers could argue.

Cate found Lux playing with Abby in the lounge room, and Cate smiled as she walked over to sit with them. "Mommy!" Lux jumped up excitedly. "Look what Aunt Abby taught me!"

Cate smirked, raising an eyebrow to Abby. "Aunt Abby?"

Abby shrugged in response, both watching Lux as she spun around like a ballerina.

Mr. Bazile handed Baze a drink without a word and Baze had to use all of his willpower not to down it.

"You've really screwed yourself this time, Nate."

Baze looked at him shocked. "What?"

"Let me ask you something" Mr. Bazile continued. "How do you expect to finish school now that you have a kid?"

Baze thought about it for a minute and went to answer but was interrupted by another question. "And hold down a job? By job, I mean a real one not this childish view you have about the bar."

"What about your kid? Is she enrolled in school? Kindergarten? Child care?"

Baze stood lost, unable to answer, simply because he and Cate hadn't really thought about it yet.

"You are so caught up in the glory that you have no real concept what it takes to be a father!"

Baze laughed dryly. "And you do, dad? You think you're a good father? Have you met yourself?"

Mr. Bazile shouted, pointing at Baze accusingly. "I was a great father to you!"

"You were never there for me!" Baze scrunched up his fists, fighting every urge to punch something. "God, dad, I did everything to try and impress you! The only time you even noticed me was when I was playing football, and even then you never supported me." He paused, rubbing his hair frustrated. "I came to you, when I found out Cate was pregnant, I came to you for support. I mean, isn't that what a father is meant to do? Support their kid? I was sixteen and I was terrified, I came to you for support and you told me to take care of it!"

"Daddy?" Lux broke the silence, standing nervously by the door as she watched the two men.

"Lux." Baze's face softened and he walked over to Lux, picking her up. "Where's your mom? We're going to get going okay?"

Lux wrapped her arms around Baze's neck, staring at her grandfather over his shoulder as they walked out of the room and met Cate in the foyer.

"Cate?" She looked at him, forcing a sad smile. "You heard?"

Cate nodded, placing a hand on Baze's shoulder comfortingly. She grabbed her bag and placed a hand on Baze's back, smiling sadly at him as she lead him to the door.

"Nate? Where are you going? We haven't even eaten yet." Mr. and Mrs. Bazile, Laverne and Abby walked towards them, the three women surprised.

"We're going to get going. I'm sorry, mom." Baze held his hand to the back of Lux's head, kissing it lovingly before walking out towards the car.

"Nate..." Mrs. Bazile started but was interrupted by her husband.

"Let him go." Mr. Bazile's voice held mostly anger, but there was something else that Cate couldn't quite put her finger on.

Cate turned around on the front porch, making eye contact with her mother before looking at the group as a whole. "You're welcome, all of you, to be in Lux's life. But don't you dare judge us, or tell us how to raise our daughter."

Cate followed Baze quickly, getting into the driver's seat as he buckled Lux in. Baze climbed into the passenger's seat and Cate looked at him concerned, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"

Baze didn't answer, taking Cate's hand. Cate frowned at him concerned, squeezing Baze's hand and abandoning all reservations by bringing it to her lips and kissing it before driving off.


	12. The Art Of Letting Go

**A/N: Thank you for the birthday wishes! You guys and my house keeper are the only ones who cared enough to tell me happy birthday. And my birthday wish didn't come true :( So I'm wondering if Liz will maybe rent them out for next birthday?? Or maybe Christmas?? Or better yet, my other wish will come true and we'll get a second season!!**

**BUT OH MY GOD! I AM LITERALLY SPEECHLESS FROM THE SEASON FINALE! Like it was unbelievably amazing. And I don't even have words to describe how amazing it was. But I do know I have watched it seven times already and have cried every single time.**

**WE NEED A SEASON TWO!!!!!!!!!!! Stupid Chuck and One Tree Hill for beating us in SOS :(**

**Chapter 12- The Art Of Letting Go**

The entire ride home was silent, and Cate couldn't help but glance at Baze concerned every few seconds as the man stared out the window.

"Lux?" Cate watched as Baze opened the backseat door and lifted a half-asleep Lux out of her car seat.

She smiled at him sadly and opened the front door, watching as Baze sat down on the couch with Lux in his arms.

"Do you want anything?" Cate asked after a few seconds. "We could order something? Pizza?"

Baze looked up at her and smiled tiredly. "Pizza sounds great."

By the time the pizza had arrived, Lux was fast asleep and Baze and Cate had fallen into comfortable small talk.

"You know they have a point, Baze." Cate said cautiously after a couple of minutes of comfortable silence. "I heard your dad. We've been so caught up in giving Lux what she wants that we haven't actually done anything to properly parent her."

Baze looked at her, shocked but knowing she was right. "So, we should probably cover school first, right?" He asked after a few minutes and Cate nodded, smiling.

After countless brochures, phone calls and recommendations, Cate and Baze finally narrowed the possible schools down to a final five. They knew everything there was to know about each, only wanting the best for their daughter despite the price, and Lux grumbled as they dragged her along to the fifth interview that week.

Baze and Cate each held one of Lux's hands as they walked through the quiet corridors of Westmonte Elementary, looking around curiously as they headed towards the Admissions Office.

"Welcome to Westmonte Elementary. How can I help you?" The receptionist at the Admissions Office smiled at the group as they approached the desk.

Lux pulled on Baze's hand, and Baze picked her up, Lux nervously hiding her head in Baze's shoulder while Cate smiled in response. "Hi, we have an appointment to see the principal. Catherine Cassidy?"

The receptionist scrolled down a list and smiled. "Of course. Please have a seat. Principal Wilkins will be right with you."

Baze looped an arm under Lux's legs, bouncing her in an attempt to get her to smile. Eventually, Lux giggled and Baze sat her on his lap as he sat down.

"Hello." An older woman came out of an office, smiling at the family and holding out her hand for Cate and Baze to shake. "I'm Principal Kathy Wilkins. Catherine Cassidy?"

"Please, call me Cate. This is Nate Bazile and of course, our daughter, Lux."

"Nice to meet you." Principal Wilkins smiled, shaking Baze's hand. "Hello, Lux."

Lux hid her face into Baze's shoulder, shyly peeking at Principal Wilkins when Cate brushed back her hair from her face.

"Let's step into my office, shall we?" Principal Wilkins smiled and Cate looked at Baze, raising her eyebrow questioning while Baze smiled back and nodded in response.

Principal Wilkins ran them through a basic overview of the school before handing Cate a package of brochures and admissions forms. "Now the term has already started but fortunately, we do have a space available for Lux. She can start on Monday if you'd like?"

Cate looked at Baze and they nodded, relieved. Westmonte had been their first choice, and Principal Wilkins had sold them throughout the meeting.

"Fantastic." Principal Wilkins smiled. "Would you like to have a look around?"

Cate smiled, standing up. "Sure, that'd be great."

Lux gripped Cate and Baze's hands as they followed Principal Wilkins throughout the school. They toured the grounds before looking through the hallways and coming to a stop outside of a classroom.

"This is one of our two kindergarten classes. Lux will be joining this class and will be taught by Miss Alysia Kelly. Here at Westmonte we pride ourselves on small classes and a one-on-one learning environment so that our students have the opportunity to succeed to the best of their ability."

Cate and Baze smiled and nodded as Principal Wilkins opened the classroom door and led them inside. The atmosphere was happy; some students were playing with toys and building blocks on the ground, while others sat at small tables and colored in; it was exactly what Cate and Baze had wanted for Lux.

Miss Kelly looked up from the students she was working with when the door opened, and walked over to them when Principal Wilkins signaled for her to come over.

"Cate, Nate, this is Miss Alysia Kelly." She introduced Cate and Baze to the teacher and they smiled at her, shaking her hand.

"Nice to meet you." Cate spoke and Lux gripped her hand tightly. Cate smiled down at Lux, introducing her. "And this is our daughter, Lux."

"Lux will be starting in your class on Monday." Principal Wilkins explained to Miss Kelly and she nodded.

"Hello, Lux." Miss Kelly smiled and squatted down in front of Lux. "My name is Miss Kelly. I'm your new teacher."

Lux hid her face behind Cate's arm, peeking out from behind it and smiling shyly. "Hi." She whispered.

Miss Kelly smiled and stood back up. "I'm sorry, I have to get back. It was nice to meet you." She smiled at Cate and Baze before smiling down at Lux. "And I'll see you on Monday, Lux."

Principal Wilkins lead the family back to the Admissions Office and had Cate fill out some papers at the desk. "It was nice to meet you." Principal Wilkins shook their hands. "And we look forward to you all becoming a member of our community here at Westmonte."

"Thank you." Cate smiled, shaking her hand.

Baze did the same. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Principal Wilkins smiled at them before smiling at Lux. "Goodbye, Lux."

Lux waved shyly, lifting her arms up to Cate who picked her up, the three walking out to the car.

"So, babe, what do you think of your new school?" Lux smiled slightly when her parents looked at her, resting her head on Cate's shoulder.

Cate and Baze exchanged a concerned look as they got in the car, Baze driving. Cate turned around in the passenger's seat, smiling at Lux as her daughter looked out the window. "You okay, sweetie?"

Lux nodded, looking away again. "Lux?"

Lux didn't look up when Cate called her and Cate looked at Baze, both confused and concerned. They pulled into Cate's driveway and Lux climbed out of the car on her own, walking ahead of her parents to the front door.

Cate and Baze followed and Lux was inside the second Cate unlocked the door.

"Lux?" Cate called, watching as Lux headed straight into her room.

They exchanged a glance, following Lux seconds later. Lux was sitting on her bed, playing with her penguin as she gripped her necklace tightly.

Cate sat on one side of Lux, Baze on the other, and Cate stroked back a piece of Lux's hair, trying to make eye contact. Lux, however, just looked away.

"Lux..." Cate started, not knowing what else to say.

Baze ran a hand down Lux's arm. "What's up, kiddo?"

"Nothing." Lux mumbled, pulling her arm away from Baze.

"Lux, tell us what's wrong." Cate spoke firmly but kindly.

Lux slapped away Cate's hand when she tried to reach out to her and folded her arms across her chest. "No."

"Lux!" Cate looked at her shocked, grabbing her arm. "Hey." When Lux didn't look at her, Cate held her shoulders. "Look at me." Lux finally looked up. "You don't hit. Do you understand me?"

Lux bit her lip and nodded, her eyes glassing over with tears. "Lux." Baze spoke after a few minutes of silence. "We're just trying to help. Can you tell us what's wrong?"

Lux shook her head, biting her lip harder as her tears finally spilled over. "Lux..." Cate sighed feeling guilty as she rubbed Lux's tears away with her thumbs and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"I'm sorry! Please don't send me away!" Lux finally sobbed, breaking down and throwing her arms around Cate's shoulders.

Cate hugged her back, rubbing her back as she looked at Baze surprised. After a few minutes, she pulled Lux's arms off of her and looked at her, stroking back her hair.

"Sweetheart, we would _never_ send you away." Cate nodded firmly as she spoke, her own eyes filling with tears. "Why would you think that we would?"

Lux sniffled. "Coz you don't want me anymore."

"Of course we want you, kiddo. You're our girl." Baze smiled at her, placing a hand on the back of her head.

Lux shook her head, sniffling as new tears ran down her cheeks. "You don't. You're sending me to school."

Cate and Baze looked at each other, laughing slightly while Lux shrunk into the bed, grumbling.

"Sweetie, we're not sending you to school because we don't want you." Cate smiled at her. "We would love to spend every single second with you, but we can't. We have to go to work and you get to go to school. You're going to learn new things, and make lots of new friends, and have so much fun."

Lux looked up at her after a few minutes, considering this. "But I want to stay with you and daddy."

"Come here." Cate picked Lux up, positioning her in her lap so that she was hugging her from behind. "I promise you that you will have so much fun you won't even miss us!" She smiled, kissing Lux's cheek.

Lux giggled and squirmed before settling back down, pausing. "I always missed you before." She whispered and Cate and Baze exchanged a glance.

"Lux," Baze's voice was firm, and Lux and Cate looked up at him expectantly. "I promise you, we will never leave you. We will never give you away, and you may miss us, but we will always be there at the end of the day."

Cate smiled at him with tears in her eyes, placing another kiss to Lux's cheek. Lux looked at Baze, watching him before slowly pulling herself out of Cate's arms and throwing her own around Baze's shoulders. Baze smiled, hugging her back tightly and kissing the side of Lux's head.

The weekend had gone quickly with Lux having constant mood swings, but sure enough the family currently stood in front of the school, surrounded by students.

Despite the fact that they were trying to get Lux used to them not being around, Baze picked Lux up and she buried herself into him nervously as they walked inside.

"Hi." Miss Kelly smiled once she spotted them, walking over to greet them. "Hey Lux. Looking forward to your first day?"

Lux gripped Baze tightly, turning away. Cate bit her lip, looking at Lux nervously. She had been freaking out enough herself about Lux starting school, and Lux's shyness definitely wasn't making it easier. "She's a little nervous."

Miss Kelly smiled and nodded. "That's okay. But you have nothing to be nervous about, Lux. Everyone here is really nice and I'm sure you'll have a really fun time."

"Lux, would you like to come with me and meet some of the other kids?" Miss Kelly smiled at her, holding out her hand.

Lux looked up, resting her head on Baze's shoulder before looking at Cate who nodded and smiled encouragingly. Finally, Lux nodded and allowed Baze to place her on the ground.

Cate and Baze stood back, watching nervously as Lux took Miss Kelly's hand and the young teacher led her over to a small table.

"Lux, this is Erin, Max and Connor. Guys, this is Lux. It's her first day and I'd like you all to make her feel very welcome."

Lux nervously took the spare seat, looking around the table shyly. The girl next to her smiled slightly. "I'm Erin. He's my brother, Max. And he's Connor." She pointed to each in turn, and each smiled at Lux nervously.

"You want to color?" Max held out a crayon and Lux nodded.

Lux smiled at him, blushing slightly as she took it. Miss Kelly smiled and slowly walked back over to Cate and Baze. "It's always hard for new parents to say goodbye. It'll get easier." She offered.

Cate nodded, still starring at Lux as Baze rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. "She's going to be fine, Cate."

Again Cate nodded but didn't look away from Lux and Baze laughed gently. "Come on. As much as we may want to, we can't stand here all day."

"I just want to say goodbye real quick..." Cate started to walk into the room but Baze stopped her.

Miss Kelly smiled sympathetically at Cate's reluctance. "We find it's easier for the kids if parents slip away when they're distracted."

Cate bit her lip, her eyes glassing over slightly. "I'm sorry." She laughed embarrassed. "I must seem pathetic, huh?"

"It's perfectly normal." Miss Kelly smiled reassuringly and Cate blindly reached out and gripped Baze's hand.

"Okay." Cate's sighed, her voice shaking nervously. "Let's go. But if she needs anything we'll both have our phones on all day, and we'll stay close by..."

Baze smirked, pulling Cate away. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Miss Kelly smiled, reassuringly. "And Lux will be fine."

By the time they made it out to the car park, Cate was in tears and Baze couldn't help but smile slightly amused as she wrapped her arms around him and he hugged her back.

"She's going to be fine, Cate." Baze finally said, pulling back.

Cate nodded, sniffling embarrassed. Baze wrapped an arm around her, kissing her head comfortingly as they walked to the car.


	13. Kids

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews people! Question, Bug and Tasha- yay or nay? Personally, I'm not a fan but I'm not a fan of Jones either and somehow he managed to wiggle his way into this story :) So if you want them, let me know!**

**Chapter 13- Kids**

Cate had refused to drift more than a mile away from the school throughout the day, hence the reason why she and Baze currently sat in a crappy restaurant, eating a late lunch and waiting anxiously for school to finish.

Cate looked at her watch for the third time that minute, and Baze couldn't help but laugh. Cate looked up at him when he did, blushing and smiling slightly. "What?"

"You." He stated, smiling. "You're cute when you worry."

Cate blushed furiously, looking away as she smiled. "We better get going." Cate said after a few minutes, standing up.

Baze laughed again, looking at his own watch. "Cate, there's still an hour till school lets out."

"So?" She whined, sitting back down. "I want to make sure were there when she gets out."

Baze smiled. "We will be. But for now, just sit and relax."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts, until Cate's phone rang and she fumbled through her bag to find it.

"Hello?" Cate smirked upon hearing the voice on the other end. "Hey Alice."

"You're with him again, aren't you?"

Cate could practically hear Alice grinning knowingly on the other end. "We're waiting to pick Lux up from school."

"School doesn't let out for another hour." Alice smirked. "So, where are you 'waiting'?"

Cate looked up at Baze, smiling at him. "What are you calling for, Alice?"

"Fine." Alice sighed. "Don't tell me. But do me a favor and let me babysit Lux tomorrow night."

Cate looked confused. "How would that be doing you a favor?"

"Because corporate's on my ass about you returning to work and god knows you won't until you break this new overbearing-mother-role. Best way to do that? Have a night away from her with your baby daddy. And that way you'll be hitting two birds with one stone."

"Alice..."

"Seriously, Cate, think of it as a favor to me. And you can even claim it's just a friendly dinner."

Cate smirked, thinking about it for a moment before covering the mouthpiece and smiling at Baze. "How would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?"

Baze looked surprised but nodded, not knowing what to say. Cate smiled, holding the phone back to her ear. "We'll see you tomorrow night, Alice." She smirked, laughing when she heard Alice squeal triumphantly.

"Bye."

Cate laughed, hanging up the phone and smiling at Baze as he looked at her confused but amused. "What was that about?"

"Apparently I'd be doing Alice a favor by having dinner with you tomorrow night." She smiled before looking at him apologetically. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't even think about you! We don't have to if you don't want to. It was just something to say to shut her up-"

Baze laughed, interrupting her and Cate blushed slightly, smiling. "Cate, it's fine. Dinner would be great."

By the time school let out, Cate and Baze were waiting out front with the closest car park possible.

The kindergarten class let out fifteen minutes before the older years, and Cate and Baze spotted Lux instantly, laughing as the blonde came barreling towards them. "Mommy!"

Cate laughed as Lux flung herself at her, picking her up and hugging her close. "Hi, baby! How was your first day?"

Lux smiled widely, reaching over in Cate's arms to hug Baze as well. He laughed, happy to see Lux so excited as he returned the hug. "Hey kiddo."

"Look what I made!" Lux squirmed to get down to the ground and rummaged through her backpack, pulling out a painting and showing it to her parents proudly.

Cate grinned, taking it and holding it for both her and Baze to see. "Wow, babe, that's fantastic."

Lux nodded, smiling as her parents each took a hand and they began to walk to the car. "What else did you do?" Cate asked.

"First we had drawing time and that was my favorite then it was recess so we had to go outside and eat but then we had playtime and that was fun too and then it was lunch and after that it was story and nap time but I didn't want to sleep so Miss Kelly let me draw some more. She's really nice. And I have a name tag on my table and it says 'Lux' and Erin and Max and Connor have one too but Connor's not very nice."

Cate and Baze laughed, Cate replying as Baze buckled Lux into the car. "Sounds like you made lots of new friends."

Lux smiled proudly. "Uh huh. And Jones but he's in the other class, not my class, but we got to play at recess and lunch and he said we can play together tomorrow too."

Again, Cate and Baze laughed at Lux's enthusiasm. "Who's Jones?"

"He's my friend!" Lux laughed as if it was obvious.

Cate smirked at Baze and he smiled back at her as he drove back to Cate's house. He parked in the driveway and Lux climbed out of the car happily, running over to the door.

"Jones?" Baze questioned and Cate laughed, smiling at him as the two followed Lux.

The second the door was open, Lux threw her back pack on the ground and ran into the living room to play with her toys, Baze following Cate through to the kitchen. "She's four." Cate smirked back at him, knowing what he was worrying about.

"Then shouldn't she think boys have... I don't know, cooties or something?"

"Cooties?" Cate laughed, looking at him. "Hey, Lux, are you hungry?"

Lux nodded enthusiastically and Cate went about preparing her an afternoon snack, while Baze walked into the living room, not able to hide his happiness as Lux told him about her day once again.


	14. Close I've Come

**A/N: So you guys are quite amazing I must say :) And I'm still torn on the Bug/Tasha issue coz half of you say yes and half say no. That said, I'll decide soon...**

**Jeremy Shane, nope no word on season 2 yet but we'll know on May 20th when upfronts come out :)**

**Chapter 14- Close I've Come**

Lux sat on Cate's bed, watching her mom in fascination. Cate had spent the past hour freaking out over what to wear while Lux told her about her second day at school and they waited for Baze to arrive.

"You look pretty, mommy."

Cate smiled lovingly at Lux through the mirror, turning around and signaling Lux over. Lux climbed off the bed and rushed to her side. "What do you think daddy would like more? My hair up or down?"

Lux giggled as Cate demonstrated each. "Down."

"Down it is." Cate confirmed, wrapping Lux in a bear hug as the blonde laughed.

They both looked up as the doorbell rang, Lux running out to answer it. "Aunt Alice is here!" She yelled as she ran down the hallway, Cate following close behind.

"Hey dimples." Lux laughed as Alice greeted her. "Wow." Alice smirked at Cate, raising an eyebrow. "Not a date, huh?"

Cate blushed furiously, squatting down beside Lux. "Sweetie, how about you show Aunt Alice what you made at school today while I finish getting ready?"

Lux nodded furiously, taking Alice's hand and leading her into the kitchen where Cate had put her paintings on the fridge.

Cate checked and rechecked her outfit, freaking out when the doorbell rang once again and Lux's voice flowed through the house. "Daddy!"

"Hey, kiddo." Baze smiled, picking Lux up.

Lux looked at him in awe, taking in his outfit. He wore a casual yet dressy shirt over dark jeans and Lux giggled, sniffing his cologne. "You smell pretty."

"Thanks, babe." Baze laughed. "Is your mom ready yet?"

Lux nodded, smiling. "She's been ready for a long time! But she keeps changing her clothes coz she says she wants to look pretty but I think she already does."

Baze laughed, his laughter stopping when Cate emerged from her room and walked down the hallway nervously, blushing slightly when she noticed Baze starring. "Hi."

Baze didn't greet her and continued to stare. "Wow." He finally acknowledged and Cate blushed furiously, earning smirks from both Alice and Lux.

Lux turned to Baze, whispering in his ear. "Told you she looked pretty."

Baze pulled back and nodded, smiling. "You know what, kid, I have to agree."

Lux giggled, wiggling out of Baze's arms and walking over to Alice as a signal for her parents to leave. Cate laughed, bending down in front of Lux. "Listen to what Aunt Alice says, okay? And if you want me or daddy, just ask her to call us and we'll be home straight away."

It was clear to everyone that Cate was nervous about leaving Lux, so the blonde nodded, smiling reassuringly and wrapping her arms around her mom's neck. "Bye mommy."

Cate held her tightly, kissing her cheek as she pulled back. "Love you."

"Love you too." Lux smiled, laughing when Baze scooped her up and held her bridal style.

"You going to be okay, kiddo?" Lux nodded furiously, giggling. "You think mommy and I should go now?"

Again, Lux nodded and laughed, Baze placing her back on the ground. Lux and Alice watched them leave from the front door, though Lux quieted almost instantly after watching Cate's car drive away.

"So where are we going?" Cate couldn't help but be excited. She hadn't been on a date in so long, and the fact that it was with Baze just made it all the better.

"It's a surprise." Baze smiled at her, pulling into the car park of a small restaurant ten minutes later.

Baze walked around to the passenger's side, opening Cate's door and holding out a hand. Cate took it, smiling at him as they walked towards the front of the restaurant.

Cate stopped in her tracks, recognizing it instantly. Baze smiled and Cate turned to him surprised, smiling widely. "You remembered?"

"Of course." Baze smiled, leading her towards the door. "How could I forget the restaurant where I found out I was going to be a dad?"

Cate smirked at him as they were seated, slightly amused. "I seem to remember you weren't too fond of this place back then."

"Things change." Baze smiled sincerely. "People change."

Cate smiled back at him before the waiter came over and they flipped through the menus, placing their orders.

"Thank you." Cate said as the waiter walked away. She picked up her bag and rummaged through it, pulling out her phone.

"What are you doing?" Baze asked, though he already knew the answer.

Cate smiled sheepishly, dialing the number. "I just want to check in real quick."

Baze smirked, taking the phone from Cate's hand despite her protests. "She's fine, Cate. I'm sure Alice is perfectly able to take care of a four year old for a few hours."

Cate raised an eyebrow, looking at him reluctantly before agreeing. They ate fast, falling into comfortable conversation.

"What do you think about adopting her?" Cate asked suddenly. Baze frowned confused, not knowing what Cate was talking about. "Lux. I mean, making it official."

"I thought that's what happened the day she was born..."

Cate smirked, hitting Baze playfully. "I'm being serious."

"I know." Baze smiled at her before turning serious himself. "But I don't know how you can ask me when you already know the answer."

"Is that a yes?" Cate smiled widely.

Baze nodded, his own smile matching hers. "Of course."

Cate stood up, Baze doing the same as she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly as he hugged her back.

After a few minutes, Baze pulled back and held his hand out to Cate, smiling. "Dance with me."

Cate shook her head no, laughing. "I don't dance."

"If I remember correctly, you used to be a great dancer."

Again, Cate shook her head and laughed. "Yeah, used to be. As in, past tense."

Baze grabbed her hand nonetheless and pulled her into the middle of the dance floor. Cate laughed, going along with it and assuming a partner stance.

Though she would've usually been embarrassed, Cate couldn't help but feel more relaxed as Baze spun her around. There were a few other couples dancing beside them, but it felt as if they were the only ones there.

A slow song started and Cate slowly leaned her head on Baze's shoulder, both lost in the moment. She pulled back slightly after a few minutes, looking up at him, her own eyes lost in his.

Cate's phone rang, tearing them out of the moment, and both pulled apart, embarrassed. Cate fumbled through her bag, pulling it out and panicking when she saw the number.

"Alice? Is Lux okay?" Cate rushed the second she answered the phone.

"She's fine, but she had a nightmare and I can't calm her down. She refuses to go back to sleep until you and Baze get home."

Cate breathed a small sigh of relief, nodding to Baze to ask for the check. "Can you put her on?" Cate turned her attention back to Alice.

"Sure. Hold on." Cate could hear Alice handing the phone to Lux.

Lux's voice flowed through the phone seconds later, her voice thick with tears. "Mommy?" She sniffled.

"Hey, baby." Cate stood up with Baze, allowing him to help her put her coat on. "Are you okay?"

"I had a bad dream." Again Lux sniffled on the other end and Cate could tell she was crying. "I want you and daddy to come home."

Cate's heart broke as they climbed into her car, pulling into the traffic seconds later. "We're on our way, sweetie. We'll be there soon. Will you be okay with Aunty Alice until we get there?"

Cate could practically hear Lux nodding and she couldn't help but smile slightly. "We'll be there as soon as we can, baby. I promise."

Lux handed the phone back to Alice. "Hey, it's me."

"Hey." Cate breathed a sigh of relief. "We'll be there in about five minutes. Can you just make sure she has her penguin toy, turn on all the lights and sit with her on the couch until we get there?"

"Of course." Alice replied and Cate could tell that Lux's nightmare must have scared her a little too. To be honest, they petrified Cate. "See you soon."

Cate hung up the phone without replying and she looked at Baze who looked back at her concerned. "She had a nightmare."

Cate was out of the car before Baze could properly park, and she rushed inside, Baze following close behind. "Hi, sweetie." Cate smiled gently, squatting down in front of Lux and Alice as the blonde tried to stop crying.

"Mommy!" Lux threw herself into Cate's arms, gripping her tightly as Cate stood back up slowly.

"It's okay." Cate whispered, rubbing Lux's back as her daughter cried into her shoulder. "Shh... it's okay. I'm right here, baby. You're okay."

Lux calmed after a few minutes though she made no movement to let go of Cate. Cate and Baze turned to Alice, thanking her and saying goodnight before sitting on the couch, Lux now half-asleep in Cate's lap.

They waited until she was almost asleep before moving her into Cate's bed, both parents needing the reassurance just as much as Lux did.

Lux gripped onto Cate's dress when she tried to move and Cate smiled slightly. "I'll be right back, baby. I'm just going to go say goodnight to daddy, okay?"

Lux gripped her dress tighter, shaking her head no though her eyes remained closed. "I want daddy to stay here too." She whispered.

Cate looked up at Baze who looked just as surprised. "I've got to go home to my house, babe." Baze tried, brushing back Lux's hair.

Lux shook her head, waking up as she grew more upset. "I want you both to stay." She was on the verge of tears again, and Cate and Baze looked at each other questionably.

Cate turned back to Lux, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear. "Okay." She nodded, pausing. "Daddy can stay."

Baze looked surprised but Cate acted as if it was nothing, and both slowly took off their shoes, backs turned to each other.

Cate went to the bathroom and got changed into her pajamas while Baze took off his jeans, glad to be wearing boxers.

She came back minutes later, and the two shared an awkward glance before turning off the lights and climbing into bed on either side of Lux.

The awkwardness was instantly forgotten when Lux grabbed onto both of them, snuggling close as both Baze and Cate wrapped an arm around her, all three drifting to sleep.


	15. Times They're A Changing

**A/N: Happy birthday Britt Robertson! At least, there's still an hour left as I write this chapter. And so you know, Lux's behavior will be explained next chapter as I'm adding some twists :) Please review!**

**Chapter 15- Times They're A Changing**

Cate stirred slowly, confused. Her arm was wrapped around Baze's stomach with her head in his arm, said arm wrapped around her body. Cate couldn't help but smile slightly as she lay there, making no movement to pull away.

Lux wasn't there anymore, and Cate could hear the TV on in the lounge room so she slowly and reluctantly pulled herself off of Baze, careful not to wake him.

"Morning, baby." Cate smiled as she walked into the lounge room and spotted Lux drawing pictures, cartoons playing in the background.

Lux looked up and smiled slightly, walking over to Cate. Cate picked her up and balanced her on her hip as they walked into the kitchen.

"You're up early." Cate noted, concerned when Lux laid her head on Cate's shoulder tiredly. "How come you didn't wake me or daddy?"

Lux shrugged and Cate frowned concerned, noticing the bags under Lux's eyes and the child's reluctance when Cate tried to put her down. "What do you want for breakfast?"

Again, Lux shrugged so Cate tried again, pressing a kiss to Lux's head. "Cereal?"

Lux nodded, watching as Cate poured both of them a bowl of cereal and made a coffee for herself.

Cate carried Lux and the food back into the lounge room before sitting on the lounge with Lux on her lap. She could see Lux's reluctance to drift from Cate and she couldn't help but be concerned.

"Good morning." Baze appeared in the threshold of the room, smiling as he watched them.

Cate blushed at his voice, but smiled back as did Lux. "Daddy."

Slowly Lux crawled out of Cate's lap and walked over to her dad, Baze looking concerned when he noticed her change in demeanor as well. He picked her up and hugged her closely, frowning at Cate concerned while Cate shrugged in response.

"You okay, kiddo?" Baze said when he tried to pull away but Lux refused to.

Lux nodded into his shoulder, gripping him tightly as he carried her over to sit beside Cate.

Cate frowned, brushing Lux's hair back from her face as the blonde slowly pulled away from Baze. "You sure, sweetie?"

Again, Lux nodded and Cate tried again. "You know you can tell us anything, right? We're always going to be here for you."

Lux nodded once more and slowly pulled away from her parents. "I'm gonna get dressed for school." She whispered, walking to her room.

"What's wrong with her?" Baze asked concerned, looking at Cate.

Cate shrugged slightly, biting her lip nervously. "She's been clingy since I woke up. I think she's just tired."

Baze nodded, helping Cate clean up the bowls of half-eaten cereal. "Cookie crisps?" He smirked, raising an eyebrow.

Cate turned to him, hitting him playfully. "Hey! Don't judge. They're delicious." She smiled, blushing slightly.

"They're also aimed at five year olds." Baze smirked back.

They made their way into the kitchen, Baze making himself a coffee while Cate washed the dishes.

"I had fun last night." Cate smiled, blushing slightly when she saw Baze watching her.

Baze smirked back, moving to lean on the edge of the sink, stopping Cate's cleaning and causing her to look at him. "And hey, I managed to get you into bed on the first date."

"Hey!" Cate hit him again, rolling her eyes as she returned to cleaning though her smile didn't disappear.

"Well, Miss Cassidy, since our last date was interrupted, what are you doing next Friday?" Baze raised an eyebrow, smiling at Cate.

"Baze..." Cate looked at him surprised, smiling before she frowned slightly. "What about Lux?"

"What? You don't think I know some kid friendly places?"

Cate laughed slightly, nodding. "Okay. Friday, it's a date."

Baze smiled at her as she walked past him and went into Lux's room to check if she was ready.

Lux sat on her bed, fully dressed with her back pack by her side. "You ready, babe?" Cate smiled as she entered the room.

Lux nodded slowly, standing up and putting on her backpack. "How come you're waiting in here?"

"You and daddy were talking." She said quietly and Cate frowned, walking over to squat down in front of Lux and take her hands.

"What's going on, sweetie?" She asked gently, smiling reassuringly.

Lux shrugged, wrapping her arms around Cate's neck slowly and gripping tightly as Cate picked her up. Cate kissed her head gently as Lux rested it on Cate's shoulder, whispering. "You tired?"

Lux nodded, trying to keep her eyes from closing as they walked back into the foyer where Baze was waiting.

"Maybe we should keep her home today?" Cate asked when Baze frowned concerned.

He nodded, walking forward and brushing hair out of Lux's face. Lux shook her head furiously, sitting up slightly in Cate's arms. "I want to go to school."

Baze laughed softly, smirking at Cate. "Guess we know who she takes after."

Cate smiled, bouncing Lux up higher. "Are you sure, Lux? You don't have to go if you don't feel up to it."

Lux nodded, forcing a smile and wriggling to get down to the ground, leading the way out to Cate's car.

Cate and Baze smiled as they followed her and drove to the school quickly, reluctantly dropping Lux at the school.

It wasn't three hours before Cate's phone rang and she frowned when she didn't recognize the number. Baze had headed to his place for the day to change his clothes and make sure everything was okay, but she wasn't expecting any other calls except maybe Alice or Ryan.

"Hello?"

_"Cate Cassidy?"_

Cate frowned, recognizing the voice. "This is she."

_"Hi. This is Miss Alysia Kelly, Lux's kindergarten teacher."_

Cate sat up straight, panicking. "Is she okay?"

Miss Kelly laughed slightly and Cate relaxed a little. _"She's fine. But she's not feeling too well. I think it's probably best if you or your husband come and pick her up."_

Cate breathed a small sigh of relief, nodding before she realized Miss Kelly couldn't see that. "I'll be right there."

_"Thank you. See you soon."_

"Bye." Cate hung up the phone and dialed Baze's number as she grabbed her bag and made her way to her car.

He picked up on the first ring and Cate couldn't help but smile. _"Hello?"_

"Hey, it's me. Lux is sick so I'm heading to the school now to pick her up."

_"I'll meet you there."_

Again, Cate smiled. "You don't have too..."

_"See you soon."_

With that, Baze hung up and Cate was left smiling as she drove. True to his word, Baze was waiting for Cate outside the school when she pulled into the car park, and together they made their way to Lux's classroom.

They spotted Lux immediately; it wasn't hard seeing as she was the only person in the class besides Miss Kelly. Lux was lying on a make-shift bed of pillows, Miss Kelly sitting next to her and talking to her.

"Thanks for coming." Miss Kelly smiled, standing up from Lux and walking over to greet them. "The other kids are at lunch but Lux said she wasn't feeling well. She says she has a stomach ache but she refused to go to the nurse." Cate nodded and smiled at her before walking past and taking a seat next to Lux.

"Hi, baby." Cate smiled gently, brushing back Lux's hair.

Lux sat up slowly, smiling slightly at Cate. "Mommy."

"How are you feeling?" Cate asked as Lux hugged her.

Lux gripped Cate tightly, mumbling into her shoulder. "My tummy hurts." She whispered, her eyes drifting closed.

Cate smiled slightly, placing a kiss to her head and picking up Lux's sweater. "Okay. Let's go home, huh?"

Lux nodded slightly, clearly losing her battle to stay awake, as Cate carried her over to where Baze stood by Miss Kelly. They went to leave but Miss Kelly stopped them before they could reach the door.

"Mr. Bazile, Ms. Cassidy, could I speak with you for a minute?"

Cate looked at Baze before nodding to Miss Kelly, confused. "Sure."

"Have a seat." The teacher smiled at them, signaling to the seats in front of the desk.

Cate and Baze did what they were told, Cate handing a now sleeping Lux to Baze who cradled her in his lap.

Miss Kelly smiled, not sure of how to start. "I'm worried about Lux." She started simply and Cate and Baze exchanged a glance, both sitting up straighter. "Lux refuses to sleep when the other students have naptime, and when she does, she wakes up screaming. Lux refuses to talk after waking up, and when I asked her what happened to her arm, she said that she fell. Now, I'm not looking to accuse anyone, but I'm worried about what is making Lux act this way."

"You mean are we abusing her?" Baze asked, losing his temper.

Cate placed a hand on his arm, calming him before turning to Miss Kelly. "We gave Lux up when she was born, and she was put in foster care for most of her life. We just got her back recently..." She paused, frowning sadly as she looked at Lux. "After her foster dad put her in the hospital."

"Oh." Miss Kelly frowned apologetically, glancing at Lux sadly. "I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to intrude." She paused, thinking. "Uh... Have you considered having Lux see a counselor?"

Cate and Baze exchanged a glance. "We haven't really discussed anything yet..." Cate trailed off.

Miss Kelly smiled understandably, nodding. "If you want, I can have the school counselor provide you with some names of some specialist psychologists who might be able to help?"

Cate smiled politely, nodding. "That would be great."

"Great." Miss Kelly smiled, standing up and holding out her hand for Cate and Baze to shake. "Again, I'm sorry for intruding but it's my job..."

Both parents nodded understandably and said their goodbyes, carrying Baze out to Cate's car.

"So what do you think?" Cate asked Baze as they walked. "Should we take her to see someone?"

Baze shrugged, placing Lux in her car seat. "It can't hurt, right?"

"Right..." Cate nodded, though she bit her lip, unsure.

Baze noticed this and smiled slightly, placing a hand on Cate's shoulder. "It's a good idea, Cate." Cate nodded, looking at him nervously. "She's going to be okay."

Again Cate nodded, closing her eyes and instinctively leaning her head against Baze's hand as he cupped the side of her face. Before she knew it, Baze's lips were on her own and Cate wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer as Baze cupped the back of her head, deepening the kiss.

Finally, Cate pulled back and blushed furiously, avoiding eye contact. Baze recovered slightly quicker, going back to caressing the side of her face.

Eventually Cate looked up at him and smiled, Baze smiling back at her before he leant down and kissed her once again, neither wanting, or making any movement to pull away.


	16. Like A Rolling Stone

**A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long to update! I fell off my horse and broke my arm in three places so typing is a bitch :( But on the bright side, my parents let me take a week off of school! Anyway, I'm working as hard as I can to get new chapters up as fast as I can. Please review :)**

**Chapter 16- Like A Rolling Stone**

Baze waited for Cate to unlock the front door before carrying a sleeping Lux inside and placing her in her bed.

Cate looked up and smiled when Baze re-entered the living room, watching him closely as he slowly made his way towards her. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine." Baze smiled, running his hand down Cate's arms before they came to a rest on her waist. "Fast asleep."

Cate bit her lip as she tried to hide her grin, nodding as Baze slowly pulled her towards himself and kissed her again. Cate wrapped her arms around Baze's shoulders, deepening the kiss as they both got carried away.

She pulled back a few minutes later, though she didn't let go of Baze. "We shouldn't be doing this."

Baze nodded, not taking her seriously as he kissed a line along her neck. Cate leaned into it for a minute, before reluctantly pulling away. "We should take this slow."

Baze sighed but agreed, taking a seat on the couch. Cate sat next to him, the room silent before Baze spoke up a few minutes later. "I've got to go back to school next week. My professors' tend to fail us for not showing up."

Cate nodded and smiled understandably. "There's no way I can get any more time off work. Alice has already covered for me for too long."

"So what do you think?" Baze asked. "Should we aim to get Lux an appointment tomorrow or Friday, or wait until next week after school sometime?"

Cate thought about it for a moment, running a hand through her hair. "Uh... this week I guess. The nightmares are getting worse, and I don't know how to help her."

Baze nodded, watching as Cate placed her tired head in her hands. He reached over and rubbed her shoulders comfortingly, earning a tired smile from Cate.

They were torn back to reality when Lux began screaming down the hallway, and both parents were up and in Lux's room less than a second later.

"Lux!" Cate raced to the bed, trying to grab Lux as the little girl kicked furiously and continued to scream, still fast asleep. "Lux! Wake up!"

Baze ran to the other side, grabbing Lux's arms as her limbs continued to fly. Lux's scream stuck in her throat as she sat up quickly now wide awake, crying and terrified.

Cate grabbed her instantly, hugging her tightly and placing kisses to her head. "You're okay, baby." She whispered. "It was just a bad dream."

"Mommy." Lux was crying as Cate wrapped her arms around her, bring the blonde into her lap and rocking her back and forth.

"Shh..." Cate kissed Lux's head lovingly. "You're okay. Mommy's here. It's okay."

Baze watched as Lux slowly began to calm, though she didn't move from Cate's arms. He stood up and pulled out his phone, dialing a number Miss Kelly had given him and waiting for an answer before speaking. "Hi. Yes, I'd like to make an appointment."

Cate's foot had been taping against the floor for the last half an hour as she and Baze sat in the uncomfortable waiting room chairs watching Lux play with the toys as they waited for her appointment.

They had done extensive research after getting almost every number for every child psychologist in the Portland area from Miss Kelly and Fern, before finally settling on one.

"Lux Cassidy?" A young woman came out into the waiting room, clipboard in hand.

Lux looked up at her name, shyly reaching up for Cate when Cate and Baze called her over.

"Come on through." The woman smiled, leading them into an office. "Hi, I'm Dr. Cameron but you can call me Olivia." She addressed Lux first, and both Cate and Baze relaxed a little more. "You must be Lux."

Lux nodded shyly and shook Dr. Cameron's hand, relaxing when the woman smiled at her reassuringly. Dr. Cameron smiled at Cate and Baze, holding out her hand towards them. "Hi, I'm Dr. Cameron. Mr. and Mrs. Cassidy?"

Cate glowed internally at the name, but corrected her nonetheless. "Uh, Cate Cassidy and Nate Bazile. We're Lux's parents."

"Nice to meet you." Dr. Cameron smiled and sat down, signaling to the couches in front of her. "Please. Have a seat."

Lux sat on Cate's lap, watching Dr. Cameron curiously as the doctor leaned forward and smiled at her. "Do you know why you're here today, Lux?" Dr. Cameron kept all of her attention on Lux.

Lux nodded slowly. "Mommy said to talk."

Dr. Cameron smiled and nodded. "You know what? I'm not really a fan of talking to new people. I get kind of shy. Do you get shy too?"

Lux nodded, sitting up a little more relaxed.

"Well do you think it would be okay with your mom and dad if you and I went over to that table over there and drew some pictures?" She pointed to one of the children's tables in the room. It was surrounded by toys and dolls, with crayons and paper spewed across it.

Lux nodded enthusiastically, looking up at Cate and Baze for permission. They nodded and smiled, and Lux climbed off of Cate's lap quickly before running over to the table.

Dr. Cameron followed and took a seat next to her, taking a crayon and handing Lux a piece of paper. "How about we draw our families and house first?"

Lux nodded and smiled, immediately getting to work. "I'm going to talk to your parents real quick, okay? Can you finish your picture? I'm really excited to see it." Dr. Cameron smiled at her as Lux nodded happily, and she stood up, walking back over to Cate and Baze.

"We find it's easier for children to draw what they're feeling rather than talking about it. After all, a picture tells a thousand words."

Cate and Baze nodded understandably, both quickly glancing at Lux as Dr. Cameron pulled out a notepad. "I know we talked a little on the phone, but I was wondering if you could tell me a little about why you brought Lux here today?"

Cate and Baze exchanged a glance before Baze nodded for Cate to respond. "Uh, it's complicated, but basically we gave Lux up for adoption when we were sixteen. We got her back a few months ago, but some of her behavior is a little... troubling. She's been having bad nightmares, and it's taking its toll on her." She paused, subconsciously reaching for Baze's hand. "She, uh, she was in foster care after we gave her up. And we only got her back after her- after her foster father at the time put her in the hospital."

Dr. Cameron nodded sympathetically before writing down a few notes. "Do you think Lux's past is what is causing her nightmares?" Cate nodded, gripping Baze's hand for support. "Do you know much about Lux's past?"

Cate shook her head, looking up at Baze. "Only what was in her file." Baze shook his head too, pulling out a copy of the file and handing it to her. "It's not much."

Again Dr. Cameron nodded. She placed the file on the table, looking between Cate and Baze. "Thank you. I'll look this over after our session. For now though, I'd like to have a chat with Lux alone if that's okay with you? We find that children are more likely to open up when there are no parents present." Cate looked reluctant so Dr. Cameron continued. "You're more than welcome to watch from the next room. The mirror is one-way." She pointed to the mirror and Cate hesitantly agreed.

Dr. Cameron opened the door and showed Cate and Baze the small conjoining room before returning to Lux. She took a seat beside her, watching as Lux put the finishing touches on her drawing before handing it to her proudly.

"Wow." Dr. Cameron smiled at Lux. "Lux, this is a great drawing. You're very talented. Is that you?" She placed the picture on the table in front of them and pointed. Lux nodded, smiling. "You know what? I think it looks just like you!" Lux giggled, relaxing a little more. "And that's your mom and your dad?"

"Uh huh." Lux smiled widely. In reality, the drawing looked nothing like the three of them. Baze and Cate were the same height for one, and they all had pink skin. However, Lux had clearly paid attention to detail as she made Cate and Baze have brown hair and Lux have yellow.

Dr. Cameron pointed to the house in the back ground. "Is that your house?"

Lux nodded enthusiastically. "Uh huh. Cept it's only mommy and my house coz daddy has his own house. But daddy said that one day maybe we can all live together."

"It's a very pretty house, Lux." Dr. Cameron smiled back at her, both pointing to another person in the drawing. It was a drawing of a man in the far corner of the page, though his skin was dark and Lux had drawn him to look angry. "Who's this?"

Lux immediately went silent, and she looked down at a new piece of paper, picking up a black crayon and simply coloring the page in.

"Are they a friend?" Dr. Cameron tried again when Lux didn't answer, again getting no response. "You know what I think? I think it's someone that wasn't very nice to you. Is that right?"

Lux nodded slowly, her attention still on the coloring in front of her. "How wasn't he nice to you, Lux?" Lux didn't answer. "You want to know something?" Dr. Cameron leaned down close to her and whispered. "I know some people that aren't very nice to me either. And sometimes they make me really scared. Does this person make you scared too?"

Lux looked up at Dr. Cameron and nodded slowly. Dr. Cameron smiled at her reassuringly. "But you know what, Lux? They can't make you scared anymore because your mom and your dad are there to protect you."

Again Lux nodded, hesitantly. "Could you tell me what makes you scared of them, Lux?"

Lux bit her lip, looking down and starting to color again. "He used to make me hurt." She whispered.

Dr. Cameron nodded, happy with the progress. "What did he do to make you hurt?"

Lux waited a few seconds before responding, coloring the paper hard. "I was bad and he would hurt me."

Again, Dr. Cameron nodded. "Is he the one who hurt your arm?" Lux nodded in response, not needing to answer with words.

"Did he hurt you anywhere else, Lux?" Lux nodded, not answering again. "Could you show me where he hurt you?"

Lux stopped coloring and looked up at Dr. Cameron shyly before looking at the drawing of her family. Slowly she reached over and pointed to various body parts on herself. Her face, her arms, her stomach, and between her legs.

Dr. Cameron nodded sadly before smiling reassuringly at Lux. "Lux..." She started. "Could you tell me why you drew him in this picture?"

Lux looked down at her black page. "Coz he was there." She whispered quietly.

"What do you mean he was there, Lux?" Dr. Cameron asked gently.

Lux shrugged. "I saw him. He was at mommy and my house in the flowers."

Dr. Cameron looked up at the mirror, a silent message going through to Cate and Baze. She looked back at Lux and smiled reassuringly. "Thank you for talking with me today, Lux. Do you think it would be okay if you and I had another talk next week?"

"Can we draw more pictures?" Lux asked hopefully, taking Dr. Cameron's offered hand as the two walked over to the door.

Dr. Cameron laughed gently, squatting down in front of her as Cate and Baze made their way over. "You bet we can. How about you practice until then with your mom and dad?"

Lux nodded enthusiastically, reaching up for Cate to pick her up. Cate obliged, and Dr. Cameron stood up too. "I suggest you call and make another appointment for next week. And call Lux's social worker. Make sure you get all the information you can on her foster father. You might also want to consider taking out a restraining order. It might not be necessary, but it's better safe than sorry."

Cate nodded, kissing Lux's head. It was clear she had been crying, and looking at Baze, Dr. Cameron could tell he wasn't far off it. "Thank you." Cate whispered.

Baze nodded too, shaking Dr. Cameron's hand. "Thanks."

He placed a hand on Cate's back, leading her and Lux out of the building and into the car.


	17. Find Your Way Back

**A/N: Wooh hoo! 100 reviews and counting! I love you guys! :)**

**Chapter 17- Find Your Way Back**

Cate had refused to take her eyes off of Lux since they had left the psychologist, and the four year old was growing more and more tired as the day went on.

"I want to go home." Lux whined, rubbing her eyes tiredly as she laid her head on Cate's shoulder.

She had been tired after leaving Dr. Cameron, but now as they sat in the social service's waiting room, she was exhausted.

Cate kissed her head, shifting Lux on her lap. "I know, babe, but we have to wait for daddy to get back from seeing Fern first, okay?"

They had agreed it was better if one of them had talked to Fern rather than having Lux there, and seeing as Cate refused to leave Lux, Baze had agreed.

"I want to go home now!" Lux yelled, moving in Cate's lap. "I want to go home! I want to go home!"

Cate stood up and placed Lux on the chair she had been sitting on. She squatted down in front of Lux, grabbing her arms firmly and forcing Lux to look at her. "Lux! I know you're tired, okay. And I know you want to go home, but it's very important that daddy talks to Fern first. I promise that after he's done, we can go home."

Lux started to cry, more from the fact that she was tired rather than the fact that her mom had just yelled at her. Cate immediately felt guilty and pulled Lux into a hug, picking her up and putting her back on her lap as she sat.

Lux slowly closed her eyes, and was fast asleep by the time Baze and Fern appeared 45 minutes later. "Hey." Cate whispered tiredly as Baze came to stand beside her, hand on her lower back. "So, what's going to happen?"

Fern sighed. "At this point, we don't have any reason to suggest that Lux is in danger. That being said, I think it would be best if you informed the police and the school just in case."

"But she saw him! He was at our house!" Cate whispered loudly, glancing down to make sure she hadn't woken Lux.

Fern nodded understandably. "I understand, but at the moment, there's nothing we can do. Believe me, there is nothing more I would like than to have him arrested, but I'm afraid that's not possible without any proper complaints."

Cate sighed and nodded, kissing Lux's head. "Thank you, Fern." She whispered.

Fern nodded and smiled sympathetically. "We'll keep an eye on him, and let us know if you need anything."

"Thanks, Fern." Baze smiled at her tiredly before leading Cate and Lux out to the car.

The drove in silence for a few minutes, with Cate turning back to glance at Lux in the backseat every few minutes, before Cate spoke up. "Could you stay with us?" She looked up at him, her eyes begging. "I-uh, I mean, just for a little while? Until this all blows over?"

Baze looked at her unsure before looking back at the road and making a u-turn. Cate looked at him confused. "Where are we going?"

"My place." Baze smiled at her, taking a hold of her hand and encasing her fingers. "I've got to get some clothes if I'm going to be living with you guys."

Cate smiled sincerely, her eyes filling with tears as she lifted his hand and kissed it.

They arrived at Cate's place just over an hour later after picking up some food for dinner and swinging by Baze's place to pick up some clothes.

"Lux?" Cate shook Lux awake gently. "We're home. It's time to wake up now."

Lux shifted slightly, signaling she was waking up. Cate smiled and picked her up, handing the keys to Baze so he could open the door.

Cate followed Baze into the lounge room, placing Lux on her lap as she sat down. Baze quickly gathered plates and some drinks before putting on a movie for Lux and sitting down next to them.

"Here, babe." Baze smiled and tried to hand Lux a plate with a piece of pizza on it.

Lux shook her head no, mumbling something as she crawled off of Cate's lap and sat at the coffee table, taking out some crayons and starting to draw.

"Lux, it's dinner time now. You need to put that down and come and have something to eat." Cate tried, leaning forward and trying to hand Lux her plate.

"No!" Lux yelled, hitting the plate out of Cate's hands and going back to her drawing.

"Lux!" Baze grabbed Lux's arms, forcing her to face him. Lux avoided eye contact, shaking her head. "Hey! You don't hit. Now apologize to mom and eat your dinner."

"No!" Lux tried to wiggle out of Baze's grasp angrily.

Baze sighed, picking her up. "Okay, then. It's bed time."

"No!" Lux kicked and screamed as Baze carried her towards the hallway. "I don't want to go to bed! I'll be good!"

Baze stopped and forced Lux to look at him, talking to her firmly. "Okay. I want you to apologize to your mom then come sit beside me to eat."

Lux grumbled as Baze sat her on the ground and she walked over to Cate, not looking up at her. "Sorry, mommy." Lux mumbled.

Cate smiled slightly. "Thank you. Now go eat your dinner."

Lux grumpily made her way over to sit beside Baze, eating half of a piece of pizza before resting her head tiredly on the table.

"I think it's time for bed." Baze smiled tiredly, picking Lux up and holding her out to Cate.

Cate kissed her cheek, hugging her quickly. "Good night, baby." She whispered, clearly exhausted. "I love you."

Lux mumbled something, holding onto Baze as he carried her into her room and got her ready for bed.

Baze emerged minutes later, watching as Cate's eyes drifted open and closed. "She's asleep." Baze smiled slightly as he slowly walked into the room and took a seat on the couch next to Cate. "How are you doing?"

Cate sighed, forcing a smile though it came out more of a grimace. Baze took a swig of his bear before he frowned at her concerned, shifting closer so her could rub her neck.

"I'm so tired." Cate whispered after a few minutes, leaning forward and placing her head in her hands as Baze continued to rub her neck.

Baze didn't know what to say so he pulled Cate towards himself and allowed her to lean her head on his chest. "How about I take her tomorrow?"

"Take her?" Cate looked up at him confused.

Baze nodded, smiling. "Lux. We could go out for the day, give you some time alone. It'll be like a dad/daughter bonding day?"

Cate smiled at him sincerely, nodding. "She'd like that." She whispered, shifting closer to Baze and curling up against him.

Baze kissed her forehead, holding the position for a few seconds. Cate pulled back and looked up at him, sitting up a little so that she could kiss him properly.

After a few minutes, Cate pulled back and stood up, pulling Baze up with her. She lead him to her room, resuming the heated kissing as they both worked quickly to undress the other.

"You sure?" Baze pulled back for a second, looking at her. Cate smiled and nodded, locking lips as they both fell onto the bed.


	18. Anything But Ordinary

**A/N: Don't worry I'll resolve the whole foster dad issue in the coming chapters but I wanted to establish a real family feel to the family and let them tackle their first holiday together before any more angst :)**

**Chapter 18- Anything But Ordinary**

Cate slowly opened her eyes, blinking as they adjusted to the light. Her hand was in Baze's, his arm under her head. Cate slowly shifted, turning over to see a still sleeping, and naked, Baze lying next to her.

She looked down at her body and rolled her eyes when she noticed she was only covered by a sheet, dropping her head back down on Baze's arm and waking him in the process.

"Ow!" Baze groaned, rolling over towards Cate and opening his eyes.

Cate laughed sheepishly, turning to face him. "Sorry."

Baze smiled at her, wrapping his arm around her back as she turned into him. "Good morning."

"Hi." Cate smiled back, leaning her head on his chest and playing with the sheet.

Baze kissed the top of her head, speaking into her hair as Cate intertwined their fingers and began to play with his hand. "Are you okay with what happened last night?"

Cate smiled at how genuinely concerned he sounded, and she nodded, looking up at him and resting her chin on his chest. "Yeah... Are you?"

Baze nodded and smiled, bending down to kiss her gently. After a few minutes he pulled back and shuffled out from under Cate. "You should go back to sleep. I'll get Lux ready and we'll come say goodbye before we leave."

Cate sat up, about to protest, but Baze left no room for argument as he placed a kiss to her forehead, got dressed quickly and walked out of the room.

Baze knocked gently on Lux's half-open door before pushing it open fully and walking over to the bed. Lux was sprawled out with the covers half off the bed, but she looked peaceful.

Baze sat on the side of the bed, gently nudging Lux awake. "Lux? Time to wake up, kiddo."

Lux groans slightly as she begins to wake up, shuffling in the bed and burying her head in the pillow. Normally the reluctance would have annoyed Baze, but he couldn't help but be thrilled she had slept through the night, apparently nightmare free.

Lux slowly awoke, blinking rapidly to adjust her eyes to the light. "Daddy?" She whispered tiredly.

"Good morning, beautiful." Baze smiled, stroking back Lux's hair from her face. "Time to get up. I've got a surprise for you."

Lux awoke quickly at the words, jumping out of bed excitedly and running to the door. "I'm up!"

Baze laughed, walking over and scooping her up, throwing her around as he carried her into the lounge room and got her settled in front of the TV before going to make breakfast.

Lux colored while she ate, only finishing half of her cereal. "Where's mommy?"

"Mommy's still sleeping." Baze watched her from the kitchen as he watched the dishes. "You and I are going to hang out today, okay?"

Lux nodded excitedly, running into the kitchen to hang around Baze. "Can we go to the zoo?"

"Again?" Baze laughed, teasing her. "We went a couple of weeks ago."

Lux nodded. "But I want to go again."

Baze bent down in front of her, making eye contact. "I thought we could go somewhere different today. You know it's almost Christmas time. Do you know what that means?" He asked jokingly but was taken aback when Lux shook her head no, confused. It hadn't occurred to him that Lux had never had a proper Christmas before and it made him feel worse than he thought possible.

"Well, kid, then I guess we're going to have to teach you." Baze picked Lux up, balancing her on his hip as they headed to Lux room and began to get her ready for the day. "

"Mommy!" Lux yelled as she ran past Baze and jumped on top of Cate and Cate's bed.

Cate was awake instantly, grabbing Lux and pulling her down beside her as she tickled her and Lux giggled furiously.

Eventually Cate stopped and Lux calmed down, mother and daughter looking at each other curiously.

"Where's daddy taking you today?" Cate asked, twirling Lux's hair around her finger.

Lux shook her head, holding a finger up to her lips in a 'secret' as she tried not to giggle.

Cate laughed, nodding. "Okay." She pulled Lux into her lap as she sat up in the bed, hugging her tightly and kissing her cheek. "You have to promise to be a good girl for daddy today, okay? You promise to listen to him and do what he says?"

Lux nodded, knowing her mom was serious. She turned around in Cate's arms, placing a kiss to Cate's cheek making Cate beam happily.

Baze smiled as he watched them. "Right, kid, let's get a move on." He pulled a giggling Lux off of Cate, holding her upside down so that Cate could kiss her goodbye. "Say goodbye to mommy."

"Bye mommy." Lux repeated what he said, giggling furiously.

Baze put her back on the ground and Lux was off in a second, sprinting towards the front door. He laughed, turning to look at Cate who looked more than nervous. "We'll be back by 3."

"Are you sure you're going to be okay? You don't want me to come." She threw off the covers, climbing out of bed and throwing on some clothes. "I can come."

Baze smirked, stopping her in her tracks as he held her shoulders. "We'll be fine, Cate. Don't worry."

Cate frowned, still nervous. "Just don't let her out of your sight, okay?"

Baze nodded, figuring it was easier to reassure her even though he wouldn't have done so anyway. He bent down and kissed her quickly before leaving the room and calling back over his shoulder. "Stop worrying!"

Baze and Lux walked hand in hand through the busy mall. With everything that had gone on lately with Lux, Baze, and he assumed Cate, had completely forgotten about Christmas, leading them to the current mall crowds you tended to get a week before the holiday.

Lux pulled on Baze's hand, and Baze picked her up, carrying her as Lux hid her head in his neck shyly.

"You know what the best thing about Christmas is?" Baze smiled at Lux, trying to ease her nervousness. Lux shook her head no slightly. "Presents!"

Lux giggled, looking up at him, completely forgetting about the crowds. "I get a present?"

"Are you kidding me, babe?" Baze smirked. "You're going to get a thousand!"

Lux laughed, relaxing as they walked into the toy store. "How about we go pick one out now?" Lux nodded furiously, her face lighting up. "But we can't tell mommy, okay?"

Again Lux nodded and scrambled out of Baze's arms, rushing from one toy to the next as Baze followed closely. After fifteen minutes they had finally settled on a stuff bear which stood almost as tall as Lux was, and Lux was chatting away, completely relaxed and excited with her bear.

"What about mommy, huh?" Baze asked as they walked through the mall. They had put the bear in his car, despite the protests from Lux.

Lux shrugged, shaking her head. "Pretty things."

Baze laughed, nodding. "Okay, pretty things. What kind of pretty things?"

Again Lux shrugged, holding up her hands for emphasis. They walked through the perfume section of a department store before quickly glancing at scarves and hats. Lux had decided nothing in either of the sections was right, and seeing as Baze hated clothes shopping and didn't know what Cate liked to begin with, they had ended up in a jewelry store.

"What about this one?" Baze pointed to a silver bracelet, earning a furious shake of the head no from Lux.

Baze laughed, watching as she pointed out different items and said no to everything Baze suggested. "That one!" Lux pointed at a single strand pearl necklace in one of the cabinets, excited. "That one's pretty like mommy!"

Baze nodded to the attendant for a closer look, and he had to admit, four year old Lux had better taste than he did.

"Ah, yes, one of our best sellers. Freshwater pearls, 17.5 inches, 9-10mm, white. We also have this design in lavender or pink if you're interested." The seller sounded slightly obnoxious but Baze ignored it, taking a look at the price tag. Cate would probably think it was way over the top, but Baze couldn't help but think it was just making up for lost time.

He shook his head no, fingering the pearls as Lux looked at them in awe. "White's perfect." He turned towards Lux. "What do you think, babe? Do you think mommy will like them?"

Lux nodded furiously, not tearing her eyes away from the piece of jewelry. Baze laughed slightly, nodding to the attendant. "We'll take them."

"Very well." The attendant smiled, gently shifting the pearls into their boxes and gift wrapping it. Lux sat on a waiting couch as Baze finalized the purchase, glancing over other jewelry as he waited.

He stopped when something caught his eye, immediately knowing it was perfect for Lux despite the fact that she probably wouldn't appreciate it until she was older.

Baze made a mental note to revisit the store when he was alone, finalizing the purchase. He picked Lux up gently, trying not to wake her as he carried her and Cate's present out to the car.

Lux was still asleep when Baze pulled up to Cate's, dinner in hand, and Cate met them at the door, clearly relived they were home safe and sound, even if there was an extra family member in the form of Lux's new bear.


	19. It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update! But this chapter's super long, was very tiring to write and I earned a warning from my physio about my arm so I hope it makes up for it! Enjoy and please review :)**

**Chapter 19- It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year**

"Baze, this is insane!" Cate groaned as Baze pulled her through the crowds at the mall. It was the day before Christmas, and Cate had _very_ reluctantly agreed to let Abby babysit Lux for an hour so that Baze could drag her to the mall. "What are we doing here?"

Baze smiled at her and pulled Cate towards him, wrapping an arm around her waist as they pushed their way through the crowds. They tore away from the crowd as Baze led Cate into the jewelry store, immediately being met by the same attendant Baze and Lux had been served by a few days ago.

"Can I help you?"

Baze wrapped an arm around Cate's shoulder casually earning a slight blush from Cate. "I called earlier. Nate Bazile."

"Ahhh, Mr. Bazile, yes." The attendant smiled and nodded, walking behind the display cabinets and pulling out a box.

Baze smiled as he opened it and showed Cate. "I know we've already got her a lot, but I saw this and I thought..." He trailed off.

It was a simple sterling silver charm bracelet, and Cate picked it up, her eyes immediately filling with happy tears. "Baze..."

"So what do you think?" Baze fingered the charms. "I was thinking we could get her one each Christmas, or birthday, or whatever, and it would be like a special present she would have forever."

Cate nodded, looking up at him proudly. "It's amazing." She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. "You're amazing."

Baze smiled, turning to the attendant. "Could you gift wrap it?"

The attendant nodded and got to work before Baze finalized the purchase and led Cate out of the store.

"So what were you doing in there the other day anyway?" Cate smirked, looking up at Baze questionably.

Baze smirked back, pulling Cate towards him but not giving her a proper answer.

"Mommy!" Lux giggled as she ran through the house, Abby following close behind.

Cate laughed as she picked her up and hugged her close. "Hi, baby. I missed you. Did you have a good time?"

Lux pulled back and nodded furiously. "Uh huh. Aunt Abby gave me ice cream!"

Cate raised an eyebrow at Abby who shrugged and grabbed her purse. "It was the only way she would listen to me." Abby bent over and kissed Lux's cheek. "Bye kiddo. I've gotta run but I'll see you tomorrow."

Lux shook her head. "Nuh uh! Tomorrow's Christmas!"

Abby laughed and nodded. "I know, gorgeous. That's why I have to rush off now and buy your present."

Lux nodded furiously. "Okay. You can go."

The adults laughed before Abby said her goodbyes and left. Cate carried Lux into the kitchen, sitting her on the counter as she and Baze began to unpack the groceries.

"What's on your mind, kiddo?" Baze walked over to stand in front of Lux, placing his hands on her knees. She was clearly deep in thought and had been silent for the last few minutes.

Lux looked up at him, confused. "How come it's not Christmas every year?"

"What do you mean?" Baze smirked slightly. "It is."

Lux shook her head slowly, even more confused. She looked up at Cate who slowly made her way over, catching on.

"Lux, we do have Christmas every year. But the people you used to live with didn't tell you about it." Cate hated having to remind Lux of her past, but she knew it was something she could never erase.

Lux thought for a moment, playing with Baze's hand. "Why?"

"Because those people weren't very nice." Cate sighed sadly, brushing back Lux's hair. "But I promise you, Lux, we're going to have the best Christmas ever tomorrow."

Lux's face lit up and she forgot about her disappointment, jumping into Baze's arms and whispering something into his ear. Baze smirked and nodded, looking at Cate. "Let's go, kid."

Cate watched them confused as they made their way into Lux's bedroom, closing the door behind them.

"Can we put that one in pink paper?" Lux watched fascinated as Baze wrapped the presents they had bought.

Baze looked up at her, smirking. "I thought you didn't like pink."

"I don't." Lux shook her head, scrunching up her face. "Mommy does."

"Okay then. Pink it is." Baze smiled and nodded, grabbing the pink paper and one of Cate's presents.

Once they had finished, Lux's bed was covered with... unusually wrapped presents. Baze and Lux stood back, admiring their work. For a twenty year old male and a four year old girl, they had done pretty well.

A knock at the door interrupted them and Lux ran over to stop Cate from entering. She opened the door slightly, sticking her head out and trying to block the view. "You can't come in yet!"

Cate laughed gently, bending down in front of Lux. "What have you guys got in there?"

Lux held up her finger to her mouth in a secret and shook her head. "It's a surprise."

Cate nodded in faux seriousness. "Okay. Well hurry up in there. It's almost time for dinner, okay?"

Lux disappeared behind the door before she answered and Cate was left amused.

"We got to hide them!" Lux whispered loudly, tip toeing across the floor to her bed. She picked up one present at a time and hid it in special hiding places while Baze watched her amused.

"All done?" Baze smiled once Lux was finished, bending down in front of her.

Lux nodded, giggling when Baze swooped her up and tickled her, carrying her out to the living room and placing her in a chair at the table.

Lux immediately climbed down and ran into the lounge room, grabbing her coloring books and starting to draw.

"Lux." Cate warned, dishing out food to herself and Baze after filling Lux's bowl with mac and cheese. "It's dinner time. Come to the table please."

Lux shook her head no. "Not hungry."

"Lux, you promised that you would eat your dinner if Aunt Abby gave you ice cream."

Lux hid sheepishly. "It filled me all the way up."

"Lux..."

Baze tried, picking Lux up and carrying her over to the table again. "Hey Lux, you know if you eat all your dinner up you can have one of the special cookies that mommy bought?"

Lux's face lit up and she picked up her fork, piling mac and cheese into her mouth.

Cate turned to Baze, raising an eyebrow. "Bribing her? Really?"

Baze shrugged, smirked and kissed the top of Cate's head before sitting down and eating.

After they had eaten, Cate and Baze sat Lux on the couch and handed her a present. Though they had told her she wasn't allowed to open any until the morning, this one was special and they couldn't wait.

Lux opened the box slowly like Cate told her to, looking at the bracelet in awe as Cate helped her put it on. "It's a special present. Just like your necklace. So that every year at Christmas or your birthday, you'll know that mommy and daddy are there too, and that we love you."

Lux carefully touched each charm, giggling slightly when they jingled. She looked up at Cate and wrapped her arms around her neck as a thank you, pulling back seconds later and doing the same to Baze.

Both Cate and Baze knew that as Lux grew older, the bracelet would become more special, for now they were happy with accepting that Lux was happy. Cate stood up and began to tidy while Baze stayed with Lux on the couch and read her a book, repeating the same tradition he had done with his parents when he was a little boy.

"'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney-"

Lux jumped up in Baze's lap, pointing excitedly at their own stockings hanging on the mantelpiece. "Daddy, look! We have stockings too! Like the story!"

Baze laughed, nodding and pulling Lux back into his lap. She curled into him, giggling. "I know, babe. And if you're a really good girl, maybe Santa will fill them for us."

Lux looked up at him, both excited and tired. Cate came over to the couch and curled up next to Baze, playing with Lux's curls as Baze continued to read.

By the time Baze had finished the book, both Cate and Lux were almost asleep.

"Okay..." Baze whispered as he shifted out from Cate, scooping Lux up in the process. "Time for bed, beautiful."

Baze slowly carried Lux to her room and tucked her in as a half-asleep Cate came to join them.

"Is it Christmas yet?" Lux mumbled, her eyes still closed.

Baze and Cate smiled, exchanging a glance. "No, sweetie. But it will be when you wake up in the morning." Cate whispered, brushing back Lux's hair and placing a kiss to her forehead. "Sleep tight, baby."

"Night, babe." Baze said goodnight too, holding out a hand to Cate and leading her into her bedroom.

"Mommy!"

Cate and Baze were torn awake before dawn, not from Lux's excitement as they had anticipated, but from her screams.

"Lux!" Cate shook Lux gently, brushing back her hair as she tried to wake the screaming girl up. "Lux. It's okay, baby. You're okay. Wake up, sweetie. You're okay."

Lux's screams eventually subsided and turned into terrified cries. Cate picked her up and continued to reassure her as Baze looked on helplessly.

After a while, Lux finally calmed and she sniffled into Cate's shoulder, gripping onto her mother tightly. "You're okay now."

"He hurt you." Lux sniffled, whispering. "He made you and daddy go to sleep."

Cate furiously shook her head no, her eyes filling with tears as she held the back of Lux's head and kissed it reassuringly. "No, baby. We're right here. Mommy and daddy are right here. It's okay."

After a few minutes, Cate down on the bed with Lux in her lap. Baze squatted down in front of them, smiling. "Guess what, kiddo." Lux looked up at him sadly. "It's Christmas!"

Lux took a few seconds to take in the information, looking up at Cate who nodded and smiled for clarification.

"Christmas?" Lux finally whispered.

Cate nodded and smiled. "Yeah, babe. I wonder if Santa bought you anything?"

Lux wiggled out of Cate's lap, taking her hand and leading her and Baze into the lounge room. Her face lit up at all the presents and she forgot all about her nightmare as she ran around the room excitedly.

"Look, mommy! Santa ate the cookies!" She grinned and held up the empty plate for proof. Cate smirked, looking over at Baze who had the same look on his face.

"Wow!" Cate exclaimed, bending down in front of Lux. "Did he bring you any presents?"

Lux ran to the tree, lifting up every present in sight. Cate and Baze sat down beside her, helping her soft through them and pointing out each one that had her name on it.

By breakfast time, the house was littered with wrapping paper and Lux had opened almost every present her parents and "Santa" had got for her.

"Hey, Lux?" Baze called from his position on the couch next to Cate. Lux ran over to him excitedly as he bent down to whisper something to her.

Lux sprinted off down the hallway, returning seconds later with her arms full of presents. She picked the one Baze had let her wrap and walked over to the couch, climbing into Baze's arms and handing it to Cate.

Cate smiled, looking at Lux in faux surprise. "Is this for me?"

Lux nodded enthusiastically, watching as Cate slowly opened the present. Cate opened the jewelry box, speechless when she saw what was inside.

"See, mommy, it's pretty like you!" Lux exclaimed, breaking the silence and earning a laugh from both her parents.

Cate nodded, putting down the jewelry box and taking Lux from Baze. "They're so beautiful, Lux. Thank you!" She smothered her face in kisses while Lux giggled and tried to pull away. "Thank you! Thank you!"

Lux finally broke free and she climbed off of the couch, handing each of the presents to the designated recipients while she returned to playing with her own presents.

Cate turned to Baze after a few minutes, removing the presents from his lap so that she could crawl closer. She smiled happily, cupping the side of his face and kissing her chastely. "Thank you." She whispered, referring to the pearls. "I love them."

Lux scrunched her face up in disgust as they kissed again, closing her eyes. "Ew!"

Cate laughed, pulling back and beckoning Lux over. Lux climbed onto the couch beside them, wriggling. Cate pulled out a present from beside her back, holding it out to both Lux and Baze. "This is a very special present. For both of you."

Baze looked up at Lux excitedly, nodding for her to open it. "Go ahead, babe."

Lux opened it slowly, confused when she saw it was just papers in a manila envelope. "What is it?"

Baze took it from Lux, looking it over before looking back up at Cate, speechless.

"Adoption papers?"

Cate nodded, suddenly nervous. "I talked to Fern about it the other day."

Baze sat in shock for a few seconds, his eyes filling with happy tears as he nodded. He hugged Lux closely first before bringing Cate into the hug and kissing her lovingly.

Lux giggled and managed to pull herself out of her parents grasps in time for the doorbell to ring. She sprinted to the door, Baze and Cate following close behind. "Aunt Abby!"

Laverne and Abby stood on the other side, smiling widely at Lux. Cate and Baze both drew in a breath, glancing at each other quickly before opening the door.

Mr. and Mrs. Bazile arrived half an hour later, and the six adults managed to stay civil, at least around Lux.

"And I got this." Lux was showing her grandparents and aunt the presents she had received as Cate and Baze prepared lunch. "And this. And this."

"Maybe this was a bad idea." Cate mumbled, setting the living room table.

Baze came to stand behind her, rubbing her shoulders as they watched the group. "It's going better than I thought so far."

Cate sighed and nodded, leaning her head back on Baze's chest and smiling as Lux demonstrated how to use one of her new toys.

Despite a few minor disagreements, the day seemed to disappear rather uneventfully. Mrs. Bazile currently sat on the couch with Lux, reading her a story as Abby tidied the lounge room. Mr. Bazile was sitting in a chair nearby, as was Baze, though they weren't talking, and Abby was cleaning the living room while Laverne helped Cate with the dishes.

"Thank you for inviting us today, Cate." Laverne spoke seriously, despite her alcohol intake for the day. "It really meant a lot."

Cate nodded and looked up at her mom, smiling sincerely. "I want you and Abby to be a part of Lux's life. Baze's parents too."

"I want that too." Laverne nodded in agreement, smiling through happy tears. Cate left what she was doing and embraced her mother gently, happy when Laverne accepted the hug. "I'm glad she's back in your life, Cate."

Cate nodded against Laverne's shoulder. "Me too."

By the time the family was ready to leave, Lux was half-asleep in Baze's arms. He carried her to the foyer where the family was waiting, each saying goodbye until it was just Baze, his father, Cate and Lux.

"I'll take her." Cate whispered, taking Lux out of Baze's arms. "Merry Christmas, Mr. Bazile."

He smiled at her, surprising both Cate and Baze. "Merry Christmas." Cate started to walk towards Lux's room, turning back when he called her. "And Cate? It's John."

Baze turned to his father after Cate and Lux had retreated to Lux's room, preparing himself. "You've done a good job." John broke the silence after a few seconds. "With Lux. I'm impressed."

Baze stood still, unsure of what to say. "Thanks, dad." He finally replied.

John nodded, hugging Baze back when Baze embraced him. They pulled apart seconds later and said their goodbyes, Baze going into Lux's room after he had watched his parents drive away.

Cate was sitting on the edge of Lux's bed, reading her a story though Lux was fighting a losing battle against sleep.

Cate stopped reading when she was sure Lux was asleep, and bent over to kiss her forehead. "Merry Christmas, baby." She whispered.

Baze did the same before wrapping an arm around Cate's shoulders and leading her out of the room. "You ready for bed?"

Cate nodded tiredly, smiling and leaning her head on Baze's chest. Baze was settled in the bed by the time Cate had finished getting ready and he looked up at her, smiling and holding up the papers.

"You signed them." Cate whispered, smiling as her eyes filled with happy tears.

Baze nodded, smiling back and setting the adoption papers aside. Cate turned off the light and crawled into the bed next to him, her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Merry Christmas, Cate." Baze whispered, kissing the top Cate's head as she drifted to sleep.


	20. No Such Thing As Monsters

**A/N: If you haven't already, you should check out my other fic "Sweet Child Of Mine". I'm just starting out, but it's an AU and follows Cate and Baze's journey from conception through to giving Lux up. I'm thinking of maybe linking it to this one... But let me know what you think :)**

**Chapter 20- No Such Thing As Monsters**

Lux sat on a chair in the court room, swinging her legs as she looked around shyly. Her parents were sitting on either side of her, and Cate was crying though Lux could tell she was happy.

Lux didn't really know what was going on, but Cate and Baze had dressed her in a new dress and told her that it was a very special day.

Cate squeezed Lux's hand when Lux's name was called, and Lux looked up at her, reaching up when Cate stood up. Cate picked her up and they walked towards the middle of the room.

Lux hid her head shyly in Cate's neck as the judge began to speak, and she tried to listen but she didn't understand anything he was saying.

It wasn't until the judge had stopped speaking and Cate and Baze had finished smothering her in kisses that Lux relaxed, giggling a little.

Fern walked over to them and Lux smiled widely. "Fern!"

"Hi honey." Fern smiled, giving Lux a quick hug. "Did you hear the good news? The nice man over there just made Cate and Baze your forever mom and dad. Like we talked about, remember?"

Lux scrunched her face up confused, giggling and shaking her head. "They're already my mommy and daddy."

Fern laughed slightly and nodded, happy that Lux already felt like that. "That they are." She turned to Cate and Baze, smiling. "Congratulations both of you."

"Thank you so much, Fern." Cate hugged Fern first, squashing Lux in between.

Fern smiled and pulled back, allowing Baze to hug her quickly. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome." Fern smiled. "I'm just glad Lux gets the family she deserves."

Cate and Baze both nodded in agreement, and Cate kissed Lux's head making the girl giggle.

The family headed out of the court and quickly made their way to Cate's car, seeing as it was still freezing out.

"What do you want to do today, Lux?" Baze asked as he drove. "It's a special day. We can do anything you want?"

Lux thought for a minute before laughing excitedly. "Ice cream!"

Baze and Cate both laughed, exchanging an amused smile. "It's freezing outside. Are you sure you want ice cream?"

Lux nodded her head enthusiastically, and Baze shrugged as he pulled into a car park and got Lux out of the car. He placed her on the ground and Lux immediately went sprinting across the car park towards the store.

"Lux!" Cate screamed, running after her.

Lux stopped in front of a car causing it to brake suddenly. Cate swooped her up seconds later, hugging her close, as both he and Baze tried to contain their panic.

"She okay?" The man who had been driving the car stepped out, hanging on his door.

Lux instantly began to shake at the voice, and she paled, peeing her pants from the fear.

"Lux?" Cate questioned, trying to shift her so that she could see her face. Lux held on tighter, to the point where it was almost painful to Cate.

Cate turned to Baze, not knowing what to do. She assumed the fact that Lux had wet herself was because of the adrenaline rush from almost getting hit, not even considering the fact that it could be from the man standing only a few feet away from them.

"We need to get her home." Cate whispered and Baze nodded in agreement, both turning to the man, Cate forcing a polite smile. "Sorry about that."

The man nodded, smiling widely, his attention only on Lux. "You've got yourself a beautiful little girl there." He bit his lip to hide his smirk. "Wouldn't want anything to happen to her."

Baze put a hand on Cate's back, both as creeped out by the man's words as the other. He moved in front of Cate and Lux protectively, blocking the man's view as he led them back to the car.

Lux refused to let go of Cate when Cate tried to put her in her car seat, so Cate currently sat in the back beside her, trying to get Lux to talk. Lux, however, just stared out the window with a death grip on Cate's hand.

Lux latched on to Cate again the second they pulled into the driveway, and Cate carried her inside, waiting until Baze had closed the door behind them before talking.

"Let's get you changed, okay?" Cate carried Lux into the bathroom and gently pried Lux away from herself, placing her on the tiled floor. Lux froze, paling a little more.

Cate started a bath for Lux, turning to her and attempting to undress her clothes. Lux sprinted to the door, quickly slamming it shut and attempting to reach up to the lock.

Cate watched her, not sure what to do. After a few seconds, she squatted down next to Lux, wrapping her arms around her from behind and covering her hand as she helped her lock the door.

Lux visibly relaxed a little and allowed Cate to help her undress. Cate let Lux take the lead, allowing the girl to make the bath bubbly enough so it was impossible to see her skin when she was under it.

Lux sat still in the water and allowed Cate to gently wash her, before allowing her to cover her with a towel, lift her out of the bathtub and carry her to her room.

Cate dressed Lux in pajamas, hoping they would make Lux a little more relaxed, before carrying her back out to the lounge where Baze was starting the fire.

Lux curled in Cate's lap after they had sat down on the couch, and Cate flipped through the channels before settling on a children's show for Lux.

Lux was asleep a few minutes later, though it was quite obviously not peaceful as she was still gripping tightly to Cate. Cate kissed her head reassuringly, holding her a little bit tighter as she looked up at a just as confused Baze.

"What was that about?" Baze asked, coming to sit next to Cate and Lux on the couch.

Cate shrugged and shook her head that she didn't know. "No idea." She whispered. "Maybe the adrenaline rush?"

Baze bit his lip, looking down at Lux and stroking back a piece of her hair from her face. He glanced up at Cate and noticed she had the exact same expression on her, both parents as confused and concerned as the other.


	21. Floating Vibes

**A/N: Fluff chapter mainly but the next one will be big! Well, at least at the end... It should be up tomorrow sometime so that'll give you guys time to (please) review in the mean time :)**

**Chapter 21- Floating Vibes**

Cate jumped out of bed and barely managed to reach the bathroom as another wave of nausea hit her. She emptied her already empty stomach, groaning before pulling herself up and washing her face.

Lux had been "sick" the last week though Cate and Baze had just assumed she had been wanting to stay home from school. The last few days, however, Cate was beginning to rethink it.

"Cate?" Baze rubbed his head tiredly, attempting to wake up as he entered the bathroom. "You okay?"

Cate nodded, accepting his offered hand and allowing him to pull her up. She washed her face and rinsed her mouth out with mouthwash before leaning on Baze and allowing him to lead her back to bed.

"Momma?" Lux was basically sleep walking as she made her way into Cate's bedroom.

Baze was asleep the second his head it the pillow again, and Cate smiled slightly, holding her arms out to Lux, not caring how crap she felt. "Come here, babe." She whispered.

Lux crawled into the bed and curled into Cate's arms, snuggling close. "Do you have a yucky tummy?"

Cate nodded, smiling slightly at Lux's cuteness. "Yeah, sweetie. I do. But I'll be better soon. Just go back to sleep, okay?"

Cate was up before the others, and she smiled as she watched a tiny Lux curled into Baze's side. There was no point waking them. She felt like crap and she knew that if she was taking the day off, then Lux would want to stay home. Cate had been hesitant about letting Lux get too clingy, but Lux hadn't been her usual self since the incident in the car park a few days ago, and both Cate and Baze wanted to do all they could to help her.

Cate managed to clean the entire house before she was joined by Baze and Lux, smiling as they sat on the couch and read a story together.

The phone rang and Baze and Lux didn't even look up, causing Cate to smirk and answer it. "Hello?"

_"Hi. This is Karen, Jones' mom. Is that Cate Cassidy, Lux's mom?"_

Cate looked slightly confused. "Yes it is."

_"Great. I've been trying to get a hold of you. Jones is having his birthday party this weekend, and he wanted to invite Lux but Jones said he hadn't seen Lux at school lately."_

"Wow, that's great. Uh, yeah, Lux hasn't been well the last week."

_"Oh, I hope she's okay? There's always a lot of bugs going around this time of year."_

"Oh she's fine. We were actually hoping to get her back to school tomorrow."

_"Great. Well, I'm sorry it's such late notice but we were hoping Lux would be able to come to Jones' party on the weekend?" _Cate was hesitant, and Karen could sense that. _"Parents are welcome as well."_

Cate smiled, instantly relaxing. "That sounds great. I'm sure Lux will be excited."

_"Fantastic. Well the party is at our house on Saturday afternoon at 2pm. Jones has an invitation for Lux with our address on it, and I'll make sure he gives it to her tomorrow at school."_

Cate smiled. "Thanks for the invitation, and we'll definitely be there."

_"We look forward to seeing you. Have a good day. Goodbye."_

"You too. Bye." Cate hung up the phone before walking into the lounge room and sitting on the couch beside Baze and Lux.

Baze looked up, closing the book. "Who was that?"

"Jones' mom." Cate smiled at Lux. "She wanted to know if Lux wanted to come to his birthday party on the weekend."

Lux nodded enthusiastically, earning a laugh from both Cate and Baze. Cate smiled, talking sternly but gently. "Okay, well you can go, but you need to go back to school tomorrow, okay?"

Lux looked hesitant and she shook her head no slowly. "I don't want to go then."

"Lux..." Cate sighed, brushing Lux's hair back. "Sweetheart, why don't you want to go back to school?"

Lux shook her head no. "I want to stay with you." She whispered, looking down and playing with her hands.

"I want to stay with you too, babe, but daddy and I have to go back to work. Sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do..."

Again, Lux shook her head. "But you feel yucky so daddy and I have to stay home and look after you."

Cate smiled, lifting Lux on to her lap and holding her tightly. "That's a very nice gesture, sweetie, but sometimes grownups have to go to work even if they feel yucky." She cupped the side of Lux's face, smiling. "And you know what? Jones has a special invitation to give you so you have to go to school tomorrow."

Lux looked up and smiled excitedly. "Okay." She nodded enthusiastically and climbed out of Cate's lap, running into her room.

Cate laughed before quickly paling and taking a deep breath, trying to overcome her nausea. Baze watched her concerned and wrapped an arm around Cate's shoulder as she leaned into him.

"You okay?" Baze asked, kissing her forehead. Cate groaned in response, closing her eyes and leaning her head on his chest.

Cate felt terrible as she waited to pick up Lux after school, taping the steering wheel as an attempt to take her mind off of the nausea. She got out of the car and pasted on a smile as she heard the school bell ring and saw the kids begin to pile out of the building.

"Mommy!" Lux screeched happily as she raced down the pathway and jumped into Cate's awaiting arms.

Cate laughed and carried Lux towards the car. "Hi babe. How was your day?"

"Look!" She held up her hand and showed Cate the invitation in her hand. "Jones gave me a letter. He said his mommy told him to give it to me to give to you." Lux continued to ramble happily, chattering away until they pulled into the car park of the radio station. "Why are we here?"

"Because mommy needs to pick up some things for work." Cate picked Lux up out of the car and carried her inside, stopping when she saw Alice and Ryan in a room through the clear glass.

She placed Lux on the ground, swallowing to try and stop the worsening nausea. "Do me a favor babe, and go say hi to Aunty Alice and Uncle Ryan, okay?" She pointed to where they were and watched Lux run off before she herself raced to the bathroom, making it just in time.

"Cate?" Cate emerged from the bathroom stool a few minutes later, noticing a concerned Alice watching her. "You okay? Lux said you were sick?"

Cate washed her face, looking up at Alice through the mirror. "It's just a bug."

Alice raised an eyebrow, coming to stand beside her. "You sure about that?"

Cate bit her lip, deciding how to answer. She had been so sure it was a bug that she hadn't even considered the alternate. Now, however, she was becoming less and less sure about it.

Cate shook her head furiously after thinking, refusing to believe that it could be a possibility. "No, no, I can't be pregnant. I'm twenty years old. I can't have two kids before I'm twenty one. I'm not that kind of girl. I can't."

"Cate, relax, okay?" Alice moved closer to her, placing a comforting hand on her back. "Like you said, it's probably just a bug." She paused. "But you might want to take a test just in case."

Again Cate bit her lip and shook her head, walking past Alice and out of the bathroom. She spotted Lux immediately, sitting on Ryan's lap as he let her "talk" into the microphone.

Cate smiled at them as she packed up some of the things she would need over the weekend. Eventually, she walked over to a laughing Lux and Ryan. "Time to go, Lux."

Lux shook her head no, but Ryan, who noticed how tired Cate was looking, picked her up, swung her over his shoulder and carried her over to Cate as Lux laughed.

Cate smiled and whispered a "thank you" to him as he carried her out to Cate's car and buckled Lux in. Ryan nodded in response, smiling. "See you on Monday." He turned to Lux in the back seat and made a face at her. "Thanks for hanging out with me, Lux."

Lux giggled in response, waving back when Ryan waved goodbye. Cate drove them home quickly, and was relieved when she saw Baze was already there, dinner almost prepared.

"Daddy!" Lux giggled as she launched herself into Baze's arms. He picked her up, smiling widely.

"Hey kiddo. How was school?" Lux relayed almost exactly what she had rambled to Cate earlier in the car as Baze continued to cook.

Cate disappeared to her bedroom and closed the door behind her, needing a few minutes to herself. She felt overwhelmed already, and the possibility of another child scared the hell out of her.

She emerged when Baze called out to her that dinner was ready, and pasted on a smile as she walked into the kitchen. "Hi." She whispered tiredly, walking into Baze's arms. Lux was sitting in the lounge room, already fed and watching TV.

"How are you feeling?" Baze asked as he kissed her head.

Cate shrugged and closed her eyes, resting her head on his chest. "Has Lux eaten?" She asked after a few minutes, pulling away.

Baze nodded and smiled. "Salad included. She said she wanted to make you happy."

Cate smiled sincerely, looking over at Lux who was surprisingly sitting still on the couch, her toys and coloring books still neatly away. Cate walked into the lounge room and sat next to Lux, pulling her daughter into her lap and placing a kiss to her forehead. "You're such a good girl, baby."

Lux giggled slightly, leaning her head on Cate's chest as they went back to watching TV. Baze joined them a few minutes later, and Cate surprised herself as she managed to keep the entire meal down; even feeling slightly better after, and hoping that she had been right about it being a bug.


	22. Feel It Coming

**A/N: So I had never really planned to write in a pregnancy storyline as I wanted Cate to just have the scare and spice up her and Baze's relationship a little (mainly in the coming chapters so sorry if I brushed over it a little. I promise I'll come back to it). Anyhow, I was torn after receiving reviews and PM's coz some of you wanted it, some of you didn't. So I decided to go with my original idea, but I may write in something later on ;)**

**I tried to please as many of you as I could and sorry if I didn't! Let me know what you want to happen later on and I'll try to add it :)**

**Chapter 22- Feel It Coming**

Cate managed to make it to 3am before she jumped out of bed and quickly threw on some clothes. Lux had joined her and Baze sometime during the night, but luckily they were both extremely heavy sleepers.

Cate quickly wrote a note for Baze in case he woke up, and ran to her car. She drove around until she found an all-night pharmacy, and nervously raced inside, picking up the one item that could determine her future.

Cate could have sworn the timer was deliberately taking longer than usual as she sat on the edge of the bathtub, staring at the pee-covered pregnancy stick on the counter nearby.

She jumped up the second the timer rang, picking it up shakily and hesitating before looking at the result. One line. It was negative, and Cate felt herself release a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

Cate covered her mouth, absorbing the information. She was overwhelmed with relief, yet there was a tiny bit of disappointment. She pushed the disappointment aside, throwing the stick into the trashcan and washing her hands before heading back to her room.

She stopped in the threshold and watched Lux and Baze sleeping, their limbs sprawled over each other. She had been more terrified the last few days than she had ever been before, that was obviously, except for when she had found out she was pregnant with Lux. Cate sighed, looking over at Baze. Everything had moved so fast since they had gotten Lux back, and to be honest, Cate didn't know if that was a good thing.

Cate slowly crept over to the bed, climbing in beside Lux. She smiled as the little girl immediately latched onto her, curling into her side as Cate wrapped an arm around her. She quickly fell asleep, feeling the relief wash over her.

"Lux, you said you wanted to wear the blue dress." Cate sighed as Lux continued to wiggle in Cate's grasp.

Lux shook her head no and tried to pull off the blue dress she was currently wearing, pointing to the red one on the bed.

"Are you sure you want to wear the red one?" Lux nodded, smiling. "You won't change your mind again?" Again, Lux nodded and Cate sighed, smiling slightly and helping Lux undress. "Okay."

"Cate, we're going to be late!" Cate sighed as Baze's voice drifted in from the foyer, and she pulled a little too rough on Lux's dress, somehow managing to pinch her skin.

"Ow!" Lux cried out, pulling away from Cate and biting her lip to keep from crying.

Cate immediately felt guilty and she kneeled down in front of Lux. "Oh, Lux, baby I'm sorry. Come here."

Lux pulled away before Cate could touch her, and she shook her head no. Cate sighed, trying to reach for her again but was again unsuccessful. "Go away." Lux mumbled, looking away from her mom.

"Lux..." Cate sighed apologetically.

Lux shook her head, silent tears running down her cheeks. "I want daddy." She mumbled, not looking up.

Cate debated whether or not to try again, but decided against it and glanced at Lux once more before walking into the foyer where Baze was waiting.

"She wants you." Cate's voice held a mixture of anger and jealousy, though most of it was tiredness.

Baze frowned at her tone, placing a hand on Cate's shoulder only to have her look away. "You okay?"

Cate pulled away, speaking softly before heading to her room. "You should go to Lux. We're going to be late."

Baze and Lux emerged ten minutes later, Lux fully dressed and giggling as Baze carried her. "Cate?" Baze asked, knocking on Cate's bedroom door. "We're ready to go."

Cate opened the door and smiled slightly, running a hand down Lux's arm. "You look great, babe."

Lux quieted but didn't pull away, instead choosing to rest her head on Baze's shoulder and watch as Cate led the way to the car.

The drive to Jones' house was relatively quiet, with Lux and Baze doing the majority of the talking. Jones' house was quite extravagant, and there were cars lining the street. Cate raised an eyebrow to Baze, both noticing there was even a catering truck.

"Look, daddy, balloons!" Lux pointed excitedly at the color-coordinated balloons on the letterbox as Baze carried her to the house, Cate by their side.

Cate knocked on the door and they were greeted by an older woman, smiling widely. "Hi. I'm Karen." She held out her hand to Cate first.

Cate shook it, smiling back. "Hi. I'm Cate. This is Baze, and our daughter, Lux."

"Oh you're Lux? Jones talks about you all the time." She smiled, beckoning them in. "Come in, come in." Karen looked down the hallway, calling out. "Jones! Lux is here."

Lux wiggled out of Baze's arms as Jones came running down the hallway, a group of kids following. Some were holding toy guns, the others bow and arrows, and it was clear they were playing some sort of fighting game.

"Hi." Jones smiled, stopping in front of Lux. "It's my birthday."

Lux nodded that she knew, pulling his present from Cate's hands and giving it to him. "Thanks." Jones smiled, handing the present to his mom so she could put it away for later. "We're playing cops. Want to play?"

Lux looked up at Cate expectantly, tugging on her hand. Cate smiled, nodding. "Go ahead." She watched as Lux sprinted off down the hall with the other kids. "Be careful!"

Karen smiled at them, signaling for them to follow. "Come through. The other parents are out back."

Sure enough there were a large group of adults on the patio, talking amongst themselves while they watched the kids play. The majority looked up as Cate and Baze approached them, and a lot of the women either raised an eyebrow or frowned.

"Wow." Cate whispered to Baze, both sensing the sudden tension.

Baze smirked, placing a hand on Cate's back as they began to mingle. After about a half an hour, Baze had settled in comfortably with the men while Cate was still struggling with the judgmental women.

"If you don't mind me asking, how old were you when you had Lux?" One of the more forthcoming women spoke up, and the women around them quieted slightly.

"I, uh, I was sixteen. We were sixteen." Cate nodded, taking a large sip of the champagne in her hand.

The women either scoffed, frowned or whispered, and for some reason Cate felt as though she was back in high school.

"Don't mind them."

Cate turned to the woman whom had made her way beside her, confused. "They're basically the 'Stepford Wives'. They'll judge anyone who doesn't fit their criteria. You should have seen them when I told them I was divorced." She smiled, holding out her hand. "I'm Donna Langan. Shelby's mom. I think Lux is in her class?"

"Oh, yeah, I think Lux has mentioned her." Cate smiled back, shaking Donna's hand. "Cate Cassidy."

"Nice to meet you." Donna commented, both of them settling into comfortable conversation.

By 4pm the party was begin to come to an end, and only Cate and Baze, and a few other parents and kids remained.

"Why don't you go find Lux?" Cate suggested as she helped clean up. "We should get going."

Baze nodded in agreement and walked down to where the remaining kids were playing on the hired moon bounce. He frowned, noticing Lux wasn't with them, and walked over to where Jones was jumping. "Hey, Jones, do you know where Lux is?"

Jones shook his head no, stopping jumping and coming over to where Baze was standing. "The man said we were playing hide-and-seek and that he and she were hiding first so we had to go and jump and count as high as we could, then we could go and find them."

Baze instantly knew something was wrong, and he felt physically sick. He grabbed Jones' arms tightly, holding the boy still. "What did the man look like? Where did they go?"

Jones hesitated before answering, scared of Baze. He pointed to the back gate, mumbling. "They went that way. But my mom said we can't go out there so we can't look yet."

Baze let go of Jones and sprinted over to the gate. "Lux?!" He threw it open and ran out to the back alley. There was no one in sight, and Baze spun around, running a hand through his hair, not knowing what to do. "Lux?!"

Baze ran back into the back yard, calling out for Lux as he did. The kids looked at him first, but the parents caught on seconds later, confused but noticing Baze was clearly freaking out.

Cate stood frozen for a few seconds before rushing over to Baze. "What's going on? Where's Lux?" Her voice shook with panic as she too began to frantically look around. 

Baze didn't know how to answer and he paled, looking into Cate's begging eyes. "He's got her." Baze whispered in shock. "He took her."

"What?" Cate's voice shook and she immediately felt her eyes fill with tears, paling as she panicked. "No. No, no, no, no." She whispered, pulling away from Baze and racing around the back yard, frantically searching every place Lux could possibly be. "Lux?!"

Receiving no response, Cate ran a shaky hand through her hair, tears streaming down her face as she screamed. "Lux?!"


	23. Where Were You When I Needed You

**Chapter 23- Where Were You When I Needed You**

The police arrived at Jones' twenty minutes after Baze had noticed Lux was missing, and Cate had refused to go home.

She sat on the couch, crying as a female police officer sat next to her and rubbed her back comfortingly. Baze was pacing in the kitchen while a detective questioned him. The other parents and kids had gone home after they were questioned, though Jones' parents were currently explaining to him what had happened.

"Sir?" The detective questioning Baze pulled him back to reality. "Do you have a recent picture of Lux?"

Baze stood frozen, slowly taking in the question. He had no idea what to do; he just knew that his heart felt like it had stopped. "I, uh..." Finally Baze pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and fumbled around inside it, pulling out a picture he had taken a couple of weeks ago and handing it to the detective. "It's from a few weeks ago."

The detective took it and handed it to the officer close to him, telling him to make copies and writing down the information to put on the poster and to release in the AMBER Alert.

_Lux Cassidy. Age 4. DOB: Apr 19, 1994._

_Sex: Female. Race: Caucasian. Height: 2'9" (84 cm). Weight: 32lbs (15kg)._

_Hair Color: Blonde, curly. Eye Color: Blue. _

_Blonde curly hair, blue eyes. Last seen wearing a red dress, white turtleneck, white stockings. Black ballet flats. Red headband._

_Distinguishing marks: Light freckles over nose, half inch scar in left-side hairline, small chickenpox scar on forehead._

_Missing Since: Approximately 4:11pm on January 8, 1999. Missing State: OR. Missing Country: United States._

_Circumstances: Lux may be in the company of her former foster father, Kevin O'Grady._

Baze suddenly found himself furious upon reading the last sentence. "What the hell are you still doing here? You know who has her! Why aren't you out there looking for them?"

Baze hit the wall next to him making the entire room turn and look at him, silent for a few seconds before they went back to what they were doing.

The detective came over to him and placed a hand on his arm, stilling him. "Sir, we need you to calm down. I assure you, we're doing all we can to find your daughter, but the best thing you can do right now is take your wife home and wait. I'll have one of our officers escort you."

Baze was about to protest but he realized the officer was right. He sighed, rubbing his hands over his face before walking over to the couch and squatting down beside Cate. "Cate..." Cate didn't look at him. "Let's go home."

Cate shook her head, hugging Lux's sweater closer to her. Baze knew how she felt, but he also knew that there was nothing more they could do from Jones' house that they couldn't do from Cate's, and that them being there was slowing down the search process.

Baze pinched his nose, trying to keep himself from breaking down again. He gently grabbed Cate's hand, encasing her fingers and pulling her up with him. Cate instantly fell into him, barely managing to keep herself upright as Baze led her to the police car.

Neither parent talked the entire way home, though Cate's sniffles filled up the silence. Baze almost carried Cate inside, but the second they were through the front door, Cate let go of him and made her way to Lux's room.

Cate slowly walked into Lux's room, crying as she picked up Lux's penguin toy and traced the facial features. She was clearly exhausted as she curled up on Lux's bed and cried herself to sleep. Baze watched her, not knowing what to do seeing as he felt like doing the exact same thing. He stayed strong for Cate however, laying a blanket over her and stroking her hair back until he was sure she was asleep.

Baze barely made it out of Lux's room before he broke down in the hallway, falling back against the wall and sliding to the floor, burying his head in his hand.

Lux had frozen the second she saw Kevin O'Grady, instantly shaking. Before she knew it, Kevin was standing beside her, a hand on her shoulder, as he spoke to the other kids, convincing them to play hide-and-seek. Lux wanted nothing more than to run to Cate and Baze, but couldn't move as Kevin led her to the back of the yard roughly. She tried to scream the second Kevin picked her up, but her screams were muffled by his hand. He yanked her off the ground roughly, and pushed open the back gate, carrying Lux as he ran towards his awaiting van.

Kevin quickly duck-taped her mouth before tying her arms and legs together and making sure she couldn't move. He ripped off the caterer's uniform he had stolen to sneak into the party, changing as he drove.

Lux stopped screaming after fifteen minutes of driving, her muffled screams turning into cries. She was terrified and she wanted her mom; she had never felt like this before when Kevin had wanted to "play" with her.

It was dark by the time they finished driving, and Kevin pulled into a driveway of an isolated house. He swung open the van doors and smiled at Lux greedily, wiping his nose with the back of his hand and pulling up his loose jeans over his small beer belly. He was a simple looking man; with short grey hair, thin metal-framed glasses and roughly shaven facial hair. He looked to be anywhere between late forty's and early sixty's, and he was clearly beginning to pack on the pounds.

Lux was curled up in a corner of the van, whimpering helplessly. Kevin climbed into the van and picked her up, but literally dropped her on the dirt ground when he felt that she had wet herself.

Lux began to cry again, more from the pain this time than the fear. Kevin grabbed her shirt and yanked her to her feet, undoing the duck tape around them so that she could walk. "You try to run and I'll kill you." He warned.

Kevin pulled Lux inside the house and pushed her into a room, undoing the rest of the duck tape. "Don't scream."

Lux did as he said, knowing not to argue with him. She looked around; the room was just like the one she used to have when she lived with him and his wife. Pink walls with painted butterflies and flowers and a double bed with a pink and white bed cover. The bed had a lot of pillows on it, and Lux remembered he used to like to "play" when there were a lot of pillows.

Kevin handed her a pink girls' princess dress up dress, and Lux accepted it reluctantly, knowing what he was asking. "Put it on." Kevin smiled as he sat down on the bed and watched her.

Lux hesitated but slowly undressed herself, crying as she did. She knew better than to argue with him, even though Cate had told her to say no if anyone ever tried to hurt her again. Kevin could be possessively kind and loving one moment, but unbelievably violent and furious the next.

She changed as quickly as she could, trying to keep herself from being naked in front of him. She knew it wouldn't last. Even a four year old could remember the torture they'd been through. Lux knew the routine off by heart; she couldn't forget it if she tried. She was his "perfect princess" and he was her "prince". He liked to play the married game, doing everything he believed a woman should do for her husband.

Cate awoke to someone stroking her hair, and she thought for a second that maybe,_ hopefully_, it had all just been a dream. Laverne's face, however, suggested otherwise.

"Lux?" Cate sat up in Lux's bed, panicking.

Laverne frowned, placing a hand on Cate's shoulder to attempt to calm her. "There's still no news, honey."

Cate shook Laverne's hand off of her shoulder, pushing herself off of the bed. She grabbed Lux's penguin and shakily made her way down the hallway, stopping in the threshold of the lounge room.

The room was busy; full of police officers. Baze was hunched over in a chair, starring at his hands. He had clearly called their families and close friends as Ellen and John were sitting on the couch opposite Baze, Abby next to them; Ryan leant against the fireplace, and Alice was switching between making food and drinks for everyone and tidying up, though no one really knew what to do.

Baze spotted Cate first and was by her side in a second, hugging her tightly. Cate hugged him back, resting her head on his shoulder. She was numb, and felt as though she couldn't cry anymore, yet at the same time, would break at any second.

Cate couldn't stop herself as she began to sob once again, gripping Baze's back tightly. "Where is she?"


	24. Breathe In Breathe Out

**A/N: CONTAINS DESCRIPTIVE ABUSE. So these chapters have been extremely hard to write, and I've had a lot of support while writing them. With her permission, Kevin is based on a girl in my rape support group's father, and believe me, I can't even imagine how she must have felt, and still feels now, after what he did to her. I didn't want Lux to go through the complete hell she did, so I choose to exclude rape from this chapter. However, it is implied that Lux (in this story) has gone through it before. I'm not sure if enjoy is the right word, so please read respectfully**

**Chapter 24- Breathe In Breathe Out**

It had been almost fourteen hours since Lux had gone missing, and she knew Kevin was getting ready to starting his "routine". He had passed out the night before after a few beers, and Lux hadn't even considered running. Instead she hardened herself and began to do as he had ordered her; cooking dinner though she could only make baked beans, washing, cleaning and lying next to him on the couch.

Lux starred off into space the entire night, avoiding sleep at all costs. She knew what he liked to do when she was sleeping, or when she was in any vicinity of the bed.

Cate sat curled up in the corner of the couch, starring off into space as she subconsciously gripped Lux's coat. Baze had sent their families, and Alice and Ryan home in the early hours of the morning, though Cate knew that by "home" he meant out to look for Lux.

The police were still there, following various leads called into them from the AMBER Alert released late the previous night. So far nothing had checked out.

The house looked completely different, with police officers taking control and setting everything up for any scenario. Cate knew, however, that none of that would matter. He only wanted Lux, and now he had her.

"Cate?"

Cate looked up at Baze's rough voice, starring at him blankly. He handed her a coffee, though Cate just starred at it, not knowing what to do.

"You need to eat something." He suggested, taking a seat next to her, his face mirroring hers.

Cate shook her head no slowly, continuing to stare at the steaming cup in her hand. She couldn't eat, she couldn't drink- not while Lux was still missing.

Baze sighed, rubbing his forehead tiredly. "It'll keep you awake." He finally reasoned and Cate seemed to accept this, sipping the coffee slowly.

She placed the cup down on the coffee table after a few sips, both parents not knowing what to do. Baze reached over slowly and took Cate's hand, squeezing it limply to let her know he knew what she was going through, and that he was there.

Kevin awoke angrier than he used to, and Lux obediently walked over to him when he called her. He grabbed Lux and perched her on his lap, stroking her small body with his hands. Lux flinched involuntarily each time he touched her causing Kevin to become frustrated.

He pushed her off of his lap before standing up and yanking her back up by her hair. Lux began to cry, not knowing what else to do, and this only infuriated Kevin more.

Kevin pulled Lux into the bedroom and dimmed the lights before pushing her onto the bed. His demeanor changed suddenly, and he smiled at her widely as he climbed on top of her slowly. His body was literally more than double the size of Lux's as he hovered above her, and Lux turned her head to face the wall, starring at one of the butterflies, knowing what he was about to do.

Neither Cate nor Baze looked up as the front door opened, figuring it would just be another police officer coming or going as they had constantly over the last fifteen hours. They were right, but the detective wasn't alone.

There was an older woman with him looking nervous and vulnerable, but at the same time, was starring straight at Cate and Baze, her eyes pouring out with sympathy.

"This is Dawn O'Grady." Cate and Baze looked up in sync as they heard the name, both jumping up off of the couch and rushing over to the new arrival.

"Who are you?" Cate demanded, finding her voice for the first time in the past few hours. "Do you know where my daughter is?"

Dawn opened her mouth to talk, but no words came out before the detective spoke over her. "Miss Cassidy, I understand how you're feeling right now, but I'm going to have to ask you to please go and sit back down."

"She knows something doesn't she?" Cate spoke to the detective but continued to stare at Dawn. "Where's my daughter?"

"Ma'am-" The detective started but was cut off by Dawn.

"I am so sorry for what my husband did to Lux. When she was with us..." Dawn looked at Cate apologetically. "I never thought he would go this far."

Cate stood dumbfounded. "You knew?" She whispered, her eyes pooling with tears. "You knew what he was doing to her and you didn't do anything? You didn't stop him?"

"I am so sorry... I would do anything to take it back. I came here to help, and to apologize to Lux and to you-"

She was cut off by Cate's palm connecting with her face, and brought her own hand up to cover the freshly-formed hand print.

Cate starred at her for a few seconds in disbelief before walking past her and rushing into the bathroom. Baze followed and held her hair back as Cate emptied her stomach, crying uncontrollably.

Cate and Baze were still on the bathroom floor when the police began to rush, most running out of the door to their respective cars while a few stayed behind and were on the phones in seconds.

Baze slowly pulled Cate to her feet, both watching the commotion. "What's going on?" Baze tried to question one of the detectives, but he ignored him and continued to speak into the phone.

Cate looked over at Dawn, noticing she was crying on a chair nearby. Cate blindly reached out and grabbed a hold of Baze's arm, a realization hitting her. "Baze..."

Baze was about to answer but was interrupted by his phone. _"Nate, a friend at the precinct just tipped me off. News just came in that Kevin O'Grady has a cabin just South of Salem."_

Baze didn't know how to respond to his father's news, instead encasing Cate's hand in his own and squeezing. _"I'm about fifteen minutes away now. The cops are on their way but I'll get there first."_

Baze quickly grabbed a pen and wrote down the address his dad was relaying before hanging up. He pulled Cate to the car, jumping into the driver's seat and speeding off towards the cabin.

Lux continued to stare as Kevin's hands drifted up and down her body, slowly removing her dress. He kissed a line down her neck as he blindly fumbled with his belt buckle, eventually unbuckling it.

"You're even more beautiful than the last time I saw you, princess." Kevin ran his hands along Lux's now bare stomach, centering around her upper chest. After a few minutes, his hand slid down her body and under her underwear, his fingers exploring.

Lux didn't cry; she knew better than to react. Instead she just lay there and pretended she was somewhere else, somewhere safe.

Lux knew what was coming next as Kevin removed his fingers and her underwear before pulling down his jeans enough to expose himself. He climbed back on top of Lux, smiling as he forced her to kiss him. He stopped suddenly, instantly covering Lux's mouth with his hand and looking up.

"Don't make a sound." He warned, climbing off of the bed and quickly pulling his pants back up. He silently made his way into the living room and looked out the window, noticing a car had stopped and the driver's door was wide opened.

"You sick bastard!" John's fist collided with Kevin's face causing him to stumble back, stunned.

John continued to hit him, and Kevin just took it, too stunned to fight back. After he was sure Kevin was out, John pulled himself off of the ground and rushed through the house, checking every room before spotting the bedroom.

He cautiously made his way into the room, stopping when he saw Lux laying still on the bed. He felt his heart stop when he noticed she wasn't move, and released a breath when he saw her small chest rise and fall ever so lightly.

"Lux?" John whispered, making his way over to the bed, his eyes filling with tears at the sight of his granddaughter.

Lux turned at his voice, her eyes vacant but full of tears. "Grandpa?" She whispered as if trying to decide if he was real or not.

John picked up a blanket and wrapped it around her small body, silently asking if it was okay before he scooped her up and carried her out of the house. "The bad man's gone now. He's never going to hurt you again, darling. I promise."

As John carried Lux out of the house, various police cars along with Cate's came speeding towards them, lights and sirens blaring.

"Lux!" Cate was out of the car before it stopped moving and she sprinted faster than she thought possible towards them, almost barreling them over as she wrapped her arms around Lux.

Cate pulled Lux out of John's arms and held her close, smothering her head in kisses as she whispered reassuringly and stroked her hair. Baze was holding them seconds later, both parents crying relieved as the police officers arrested Kevin, and Baze's father looked on.


	25. Fall Apart Today

**Chapter 25- Fall Apart Today**

The ambulance ride to the hospital was completely silent, minus a few attempts from the paramedics to get Lux to speak, and Cate's quiet reassurances to Lux that she was okay.

Lux sat still in Cate's lap, blankly starring off into the distance as Cate held her tightly. Baze had reluctantly agreed to drive behind them to the hospital, only after Lux had refused to let him touch her. They had even had to call another female paramedic as Lux began to panic whenever the original male one was in her presence.

"We're here." One of the paramedics smiled at the two of them sympathetically as they pulled to a stop in the ambulance bay at the local hospital.

Cate nodded, gently kissing Lux's head as she stood up with her daughter cradled in her arms, holding her as close to herself as possible.

The ambulance doors were opened Cate and Lux were hit with a wave of doctors and nurses, cameras flashing and reporters calling out from a distance. They knew from the AMBER Alert that Lux's kidnapping would be in the media, but they had no idea it would be this big.

Lux flinched and gripped on to Cate desperately, her arms almost choking Cate as they wrapped around her neck. Cate didn't care though and she held onto Lux just as tightly.

"Cate!" Cate turned around as Baze came running towards them. He placed a hand on Cate's back, standing in front of the media's view of them protectively as he led them inside, pushing back the doctors and nurses.

The second they were inside the emergency room, Lux was torn from Cate's grasp. Lux began to scream and cry, kicking furiously as the doctors carried her away.

Cate and Baze raced after them, trying to reach out for Lux. The doctors laid Lux down on an exam bed and she instantly stilled, surprising everyone around her.

"I'm right here, baby." Cate whispered, moving to sit beside Lux. She took the still girl into her arms, kissing Lux's forehead. Lux didn't move or speak, continuing to stare ahead. "Mommy's right here. You're okay."

After a few minutes, Lux relaxed slightly and curled up in Cate's arms, resting her head on Cate's chest. Baze moved to stroke back Lux's hair but she flinched away from his touch, and Baze stood back, hurt.

"Hi, Lux." One of the female doctors smiled at Lux reassuringly. "My name is Dr. Callaghan. Do you think it would be okay if I did some tests to make sure you're okay?" Lux looked hesitant, gripping to Cate's top tightly. "Your mom can stay with you the whole time if you'd like."

Lux slowly nodded, though she flinched and froze again when Baze tried to reach out to her. "Maybe it'd be best if you waited outside." Dr. Callaghan looked at Baze sympathetically.

Baze was about to protest and looked over at Cate, only to find her frowning back at him sympathetically. Baze looked back at them hurt, but allowed himself to be led out of the room by a nurse, leaving only Cate, Lux, Dr. Callaghan and another female nurse in there.

Dr. Callaghan pulled up a chair and sat in front of Cate and Lux, chart in hand. "Lux, can you tell me where it hurts?" She smiled reassuringly.

Lux hesitated before pointing to her back and upper thighs. Dr. Callaghan nodded before writing the information down and smiling at Lux kindly. "Lux, Nurse Olivia and I are going to leave the room for a moment. Do you think you could get changed into this special gown here?"

Lux slowly nodded, watching as the nurse placed the gown on the bed and the two of them left the room. Lux sat in Cate's arms for a few moments, neither wanting to let go. Eventually Cate kissed her head and pulled back, smiling reassuringly as she stood in front of Lux.

Cate slowly peeled off the dress Lux had been made to wear, and placed it in the bag Dr. Callaghan had left to collect Lux's clothing. When they were still at the house waiting for the ambulance, Cate had reluctantly re-dressed Lux in the only clothing she could find; the dress; upon Lux's request.

Cate's eyes filled with tears as she looked at her daughter's bruised body, watching as Lux instinctively tried to shield as much of herself as she could with her arms. Cate picked up the hospital gown and Lux obediently raised her arms, allowing the thin material to fall over her tiny body.

Cate's brow furrowed and she struggled not to cry as she picked Lux up off the bed and placed her on the ground, squatting down in front of her. She held up the clean underwear, and Lux knew what she was saying so she bent down and pulled her underwear off, reaching up to place it in the bag. Cate felt herself begin to cry, realizing Lux had been through this before.

Lux pulled on the fresh underwear before leaning against Cate and wrapping her arms around her mom's shoulders tiredly. Cate gripped her back, standing up and placing Lux back on her lap as she sat back on the bed.

Dr. Callaghan and the nurse came back into the room a few minutes later, and Cate felt her heart break upon seeing a rape kit in the nurse's hand. "Lux, if it's okay with you, I'd like to check you over and make sure you're okay now."

It was more of a statement than a question but Lux nodded slowly, shifting off of Cate to sit on the bed. Cate climbed off and stood beside her, stroking back her hair reassuringly as the doctor began to look her over, checking her more superficial injuries first.

Cate didn't try to stop the tears streaming down her face as she watched Dr. Callaghan begin to vaginal exam, Lux squeezing her eyes closed tightly. Cate let out a shaky breath and continued to brush back Lux's hair, reassuring both Lux and herself.

The exam seemed to take forever and by the end, Lux was completely exhausted. Cate picked her up, cradling her against herself as she began to rock her to sleep.

"Multiple abrasions adjacent to the external genitalia. Five lacerations to the labia. Complete unhealed transection of the hymen. Evidence of deep scarring..." Cate listened to what Dr. Callaghan was relaying to the nurse, though she didn't really understand what she was saying.

"So what does that mean?" Cate whispered, trying to keep a restless Lux from waking. "Is she going to be okay?"

Dr. Callaghan frowned at her sadly. "Lux has a lot of injuries consistent with sexual abuse. Physically, she has some scarring, but most of it should heal over time. It's the emotional factor you should be worried about. Does Lux have a psychologist already?"

Cate nodded, her eyes filling with tears once again as she cupped the back of Lux's head. "I suggest you talk to Lux and make an appointment sometime within the next couple of weeks."

Cate nodded, pausing. "That's it? I mean, can we take her home?"

"There's no reason why Lux can't go home tonight. Honestly, I think being in a familiar, safe environment will help the healing process." Dr. Callaghan nodded, smiling kindly.

Cate smiled through her tears, kissing Lux's head. She honestly didn't think she would be strong enough to handle having Lux in the hospital for the night, not on top of everything else.

"I'll get a nurse to bring some hospital issue sweats in for Lux to change, and organize for the discharge papers if you'll just sign out at the front desk." Cate nodded thanks, and Dr. Callaghan smiled sympathetically once more before leaving the room.

As expected, the nurse brought in Lux a change of clothes and Cate very carefully worked to keep her asleep while she changed her. She carried Lux out to where Baze was waiting anxiously, pacing back and forth near the front desk.

He rushed over to them the second he saw them and Cate had to use all of her strength to keep herself from breaking down. "How is she?" Baze whispered, noticing Lux sleeping restlessly on Cate's shoulder.

Cate didn't give a proper answer, instead shaking her head, her tears spilling over. Baze kissed her head comfortingly, holding the position as Cate tried to gather herself. "Uh, the doctor said we can take her home."

Baze smiled slightly, relieved. He walked over to the desk and began to sign the papers, before coming back a few minutes later. He placed a hand on Cate's back and began to lead them to the car; wanting nothing more than to wrap his arms around both of his girls, but knowing he had to make Lux feel as comfortable as possible, even if that meant keeping his distance.


	26. When It's Over

**Chapter 26- When It's Over**

Cate watched as Lux starred out the window the entire ride home, both of them sitting in the backseat while Baze drove.

Baze pulled into Cate's driveway, climbing out of his seat and opening Lux's door, his intention to carry Lux instead. Lux, however, cowered away, her face full of fear.

"Come here, babe." Cate whispered, picking Lux up. Lux gripped to her tightly, and Cate frowned sympathetically at Baze who just followed, slightly hurt.

Cate carried Lux into the lounge room, situating herself on the couch as she cradled Lux in her lap and turned on the TV, flipping through the channels. "How are you feeling, sweetie? Are you hungry?"

Lux shook her head no, fiddling with Cate's necklace. Cate and Baze exchanged a glance and Cate nodded for Baze to make some food for Lux anyway, stroking back Lux's hair as she watched her concerned. "Are you tired?"

Again Lux shook her head no and Cate sighed slightly, exhausted. "Let's get you changed then, huh?"

Lux didn't reply but allowed Cate to carry her to the bathroom where she proceeded to run a bath for Lux. Lux followed Cate as she went into Lux's room to get her some clothes, and again as she went back to the bathroom. Cate knew Lux was going to be clingy, but this was more than what she had expected.

Lux stayed in the bath for as long as Cate would let her, just staring blankly as Cate washed her gently. They made their way into the kitchen after Lux was dressed, and Lux gripped tightly to Cate as they walked towards Baze.

"Are you sure you're not hungry, kiddo?" Baze smiled at Lux gently as Cate carried her into the kitchen. "I'm making your favorite."

Lux shrunk away when he reached out to place a hand on her back, and Baze stood back; hurt, embarrassed, but mainly more furious at the bastard who had caused his own daughter to become scared of him.

"How about we have a picnic inside tonight?" Cate asked, trying to cheer Lux up. "We can set up the picnic mat in the lounge room and pretend it's a real picnic."

Lux didn't reply though it didn't really look like she was listening anyway as she fiddled with Cate's necklace. Cate sighed, and carried Lux over to the couch, sitting with her on her lap.

Lux leaned her head onto Cate's chest as Cate kissed her forehead, watching the TV vacantly. "I love you so much, baby girl."

Lux nodded slightly, signaling to Cate that she felt the same, and Cate couldn't help but smile gently as she continued, making sure Baze couldn't hear in the kitchen.

"I'm so sorry for what you've gone through." She knew that Lux probably wasn't listening or understanding anymore, but she continued anyway, loose tears running down her cheeks. "I wish that I could have stopped it. I wish that I was there to protect you. It's never going to be okay that I wasn't, but I'm here now, and I promise you Lux, neither daddy or I will ever hurt you. We'll protect you, and we'll always be there for you, for anything. I promise no one will ever hurt you again."

Lux didn't say anything but snuggled deeper into Cate's arms after a few moments hesitation, signaling she had heard her, and that she believed her.

No matter how hard Cate and Baze tried, Lux refused to eat, and to be honest, they couldn't blame her. After what she had gone through, it was more than understandable.

Both Lux and Cate struggled to keep their eyes open as they watched the latest movie, Baze sitting in the nearby chair. They were all exhausted and it was close to one am, but Lux had refused to sleep, and after multiple tries, Cate and Baze had just given up, figuring she would fall asleep sooner or later.

Sure enough, Lux was currently bordering sleep, her eyes refusing to stay open any longer. Cate noticed and carefully lifted her up, carrying her into her own room as Baze followed. Both parents knew Lux didn't want to be alone, and to be honest, they didn't want her to be.

Cate carefully laid Lux on her bed and pulled the covers over her, careful not to wake her. Baze sat on the other side of the bed, gently stroking back Lux's hair. He leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead, mumbling. "I love you, Lux."

Cate smiled slightly as she watched him before doing the same herself. They turned on the bedside lamp for a nightlight before quickly slipping out of the room, the door completely open.

Baze collapsed on the couch and Cate wanted nothing more than to do the same, but instead she sat down hesitantly next to him, earning a concerned and confused glance. "How are you doing?" Baze asked gently after a few moments silence, rubbing Cate's back comfortingly.

Cate leaned into the touch instinctively, but pulled away after a few minutes. "I think we should take a break." She sighed after a few minutes. "I just- _we_ need to concentrate only on Lux, and I can't do that when we're together."

Baze looked a mixture of confusion, hurt and understanding and he moved to sit up straight next to her, placing a hand on her knee. "I get it." He sighed reluctantly, running a hand through his hair. "I don't like it," They both smirked slightly at his tone. "But I get it." He said seriously.

Cate sighed and nodded, standing up after a few moments silence and looking at him. "If you want, you can take the couch, or Lux's bed? Or you can go home and just come back in the morning if you want?"

Baze stood up and placed his hands on her shoulders, forcing Cate to look up at him. "I'm not leaving, Cate." Cate smiled slightly and nodded thankfully. "I'll take the couch."

Cate nodded and organized a pile of blankets, handing them to Baze. "Goodnight, Baze."

"Night, Cate." Both parents spoke tiredly; both going through the same emotions, and both knowing they weren't going to sleep much in the coming days.

**A/N: Sorry it wasn't a very long chapter! I promise to update as soon as I can with more entertaining chapters but I needed a chapter to see how Lux adapts to being home. And don't worry, Cate and Baze will get back together within the next few chapters! Who am I to keep true love apart?... even though I may have shipped Cate and Ryan on more than one occasion... :) IT'S ALMOST MAY 20TH! --- Anyone else as excited/nervous as I am?**


	27. Almost Everything

**A/N: WE GOT PICKED UP FOR SEASON 2! :) :) :) :) Sorry it's pretty short and slightly boring but the next chapter will be long, entertaining and I'm 99.9% sure it will be up sometime tomorrow! Please review even if it's just to tell me how excited you are about LUX getting picked up for season 2! :)**

**Chapter 27- Almost Everything**

Cate barely fell asleep before she was awoken by Lux's whimpers, the whimpers quickly turning into screams.

"Lux." Cate grabbed Lux's shoulders, shaking her gently as the blonde kicked furiously. "Come on, baby, wake up. You're okay. It's okay."

Lux awoke slowly, instantly beginning to cry as Cate pulled her into her arms and kissed her forehead. "Shh... You're okay. I'm right here, baby. It's okay."

Lux's crying slowly ceased until it was just small whimpers, and Cate felt like crying along with her. Instead Cate simply whispered meaningless words and continued to reassure her daughter that she was there.

Lux drifted back to sleep sometime throughout the night, though Cate stayed awake and watched her, waking her whenever she saw the signs of a nightmare beginning and doing all she could to ease Lux's pain.

Lux finally stirred just before 8am and Cate was thrilled she had gotten at least a few hours sleep. "Good morning sweet girl." Cate whispered, smiling slightly as she stroked back Lux's hair.

Lux seemed more relaxed today and she wrapped her arms around Cate's neck, hanging on as Cate carried Lux out into the kitchen.

Baze sat at the kitchen table, writing something down on the notepad as he spoke on the phone. Cate smiled at Lux slightly, holding her finger to her mouth and whispering for her to be quiet. Lux nodded and smiled slightly, holding her finger to her mouth to let Cate know she understood.

Cate had grown pretty good at balancing Lux on one hip while she completed various tasks, and she talked softly to Lux as she prepared breakfast. "What do you feel like for breakfast, babe? Cereal?" Lux shook her head no. "Pancakes?"

Again Lux shook her head no and Cate sighed softly, the action not going unnoticed by Lux whom hesitated for a few moments before speaking. "Juice." She whispered.

Cate looked down at her and smiled, ecstatic that she was opening up, even if it was just a little. "Sure, sweetie. Do you want apple or orange?"

"Apple." Lux whispered as Cate grabbed the bottle out from the fridge and poured it into a glass, handing it to Lux who sipped it slowly. She didn't even finish half of it, but Cate figured it was better than nothing.

Baze hung up the phone and finish writing, both Cate and Lux looking over at him. Lux signaled that she wanted to get down so Cate placed her on the floor and watched as Lux very hesitantly made her way over to Baze, stopping a few feet away from him.

"Morning beautiful." Baze smiled at her, clearly ecstatic about the progress. "How are you feeling this morning?"

Lux didn't answer and hesitated for a few moments before slowly walking over to Baze and climbing into his lap. Both Baze and Cate's eyes filled with relieved tears, and Cate made her way over to join. "Can we read a story?" Lux whispered, resting her head on Baze's chest.

"Of course we can, kiddo." Baze smiled, kissing the top of Lux's head. "Why don't you choose one while I talk to mommy quickly?"

Lux nodded and headed to the lounge room, sorting through her books. "How's she doing today?" Baze asked once Lux was out of ears shot.

Cate shrugged but smiled slightly. "She seems more comfortable, but she didn't sleep much and she still won't eat. I don't really know what else to do."

Baze nodded, feeling the same way. "I-uh, I spent most of the night on the phone. With Abby mainly, and I spoke to Dr. Cameron. She said that maybe we should get away for a while. Out of town, you know, somewhere where Lux will be able to just relax for a while." Cate nodded, smiling slightly. It was a good idea, and Cate knew that it would help. "She also asked if we'd ever thought about getting a pet? She said animals are usually a great way for children to recover from traumatic events."

"I don't know..." Cate sighed looking over at Lux. "Do you think she's ready?"

Baze shrugged but nodded. "I don't think it could hurt."

Cate bit her lip as she thought before finally turning to Baze and nodded. "Okay. If it'll help her, I'll do anything..."

Baze smiled slightly, understanding. "I asked Dr. Cameron and she suggested a dog. Apparently it gives the child a sense of safety as well as a friend." He paused, turning the notepad so that Cate could see what he had written. "I looked into breeders, and there's one who breeds Labrador retrievers just outside of Chelan County in Washington." Cate looked up at him, her brow furrowed with confusion causing Baze to smirk slightly and continue. "My parents have a holiday cabin by the Cascade Mountains about twenty minutes away from the breeder. I was thinking we could hit two birds with one stone."

Cate smiled at him sincerely, her eyes glassing over. "You really did all that?"

"I just want to make all the bad things go away, you know." Baze bit his lip, looking over at Lux who was still picking out a book. "I want her to be able to be a normal kid again."

"I know." Cate nodded, reaching over to place a hand on Baze's arm. "Thank you."

Baze covered Cate's hand with his own, both parents watching Lux lovingly. After a few minutes, Baze stood up and walked over to the couch, Lux hesitantly joining him. She handed him the book she had chosen and watched him nervously before slowly shifting herself into his lap and listening as he began to read.


	28. You Find A Way

**A/N: Thanks for all of the amazing reviews people! You guys are amazing!**

**Chapter 28- You Find A Way**

"Lux?" Cate knocked on Lux's door gently, pushing it open and smiling when she saw Lux carefully placing her toys into the bag Cate had told her to fill. "You ready to go, babe?"

Lux nodded and picked up the bag, walking over to Cate and taking her hand as Cate led her out to the car. She picked her up and buckled her in as Baze finished loading the bags into the car and locked the house.

It had been three days since Lux had come home, and she was beginning to adjust back into home life; becoming more relaxed around Baze, and less clingy with Cate. Lux had been thrilled when Cate and Baze had told her about the vacation, though Cate and Baze had agreed to keep the dog part of the trip a surprise.

"Let's get this show on the road." Both Baze and Cate turned back to smile at Lux and she slowly returned it, gripping her penguin to her chest tightly as they began to drive.

The drive seemed to take forever, and sometime along the way, Cate had moved to sit in the back with Lux, waking her whenever she began to have a nightmare.

They pulled into a diner around lunch time,

"Lux? Wake up, honey." Cate gently shook Lux awake despite the fact that she was sleeping peacefully, unbuckling her and carrying her inside the diner.

Lux tiredly laid her head on Cate's shoulders, her eyes struggling to stay open. "What do you feel like for lunch, babe?"

Lux yawned and the woman at the counter smiled. "She's adorable." She noted and both Cate and Baze beamed. "What can I get ya'll?"

They ordered quickly and took a seat at a booth, Cate and Lux on one side, Baze on the other. Lux was fully awake by the time the food came and she giggled as Baze made a smile face with ketchup.

Cate beamed, looking at a grinning Baze, both unbelievably happy at hearing the sound of Lux's laugh. They took their time eating before driving the short distance from the diner to the breeders home.

Lux looked around confused as Cate unbuckled her and they slowly walked towards the house. "Are we there?"

"Nope." Cate smiled down at her. "Not yet. But daddy and I have a surprise for you."

Lux smiled happily, resting her head on Cate's shoulder. It was almost surprising how much Lux had relaxed since they had left, and Cate and Baze couldn't be more relieved.

"Hi there." An older women came around from the back of the house and smiled widely at them. "My name's Carol Burson. You must be the Baziles?"

Cate smiled in response as Baze held out his hand. "Baze." He introduced himself. "And this is Cate and Lux."

Carol smiled warmly at them, signaling for them to follow her around back. Lux gripped to Cate a little tighter, but looked around curiously, her face immediately lighting up when she saw a group of puppies playing in a pen, an older dog happily wandering freely

Lux wriggled out of Cate's arms and pulled on her hand, pulling her over to the Labrador Retrievers. They were mainly brown or black, but there was one golden one and Lux spotted it immediately.

"Look, momma!" Lux held onto Cate's hand tightly as she pointed to one of the puppies. "That one has yellow hair like me."

Cate laughed slightly, bending down next to Lux as they approached the dog. Carol picked up the puppy and held it on her knee so that Lux could pat it. "She likes you."

Lux giggled, allowing the puppy to happily lick her face. Cate looked up at Baze and he smiled, bending down beside them. "So what do you think, kiddo?" He placed a hand on Lux's back, noticing that she only flinched slightly. "Do you think she's the one?"

Lux looked between her parents confused, her hand still on the puppy. "You mean to keep?"

Both Cate and Baze nodded, smiling widely. Lux nodded her head furiously causing all three adults to laugh. Carol stood up with the puppy in her arms and handed her over to Cate, Lux patting it in awe as Baze went inside with Carol to finalize the payments.

They returned a few minutes later to find Cate and Lux petting both the puppy and the older dog. "Who's this one?" Lux asked curiously, surprising both of her parents as Lux hadn't talked to a stranger since she had come home.

"That's Lucy." Carol smiled, rubbing the black Labrador's stomach. Lux giggled, watching as the dog rolled around happily.

Cate and Baze talked with Carol for a while, allowing Lux to play with the dogs before they called her over. Lux happily stumbled over with the puppy in her arms, the normally light dog heavy for a four year old.

Cate smiled and bent down in front of her, attaching a lead and a collar they had already bought to the puppy. "You ready to go, babe?"

Lux nodded, taking the lead from a slightly nervous Cate and leading the group across the land towards the car. Lux giggled as the puppy pulled on the lead causing Lux to stumble forward a little. She regained her feet however, and tugged the lead causing the puppy run ahead to the car.

"Thank you, Carol." Baze shook her hand thanks before Cate did the same.

Carol smiled at them kindly. "Take care." She said before walking back towards the house, Lucy happily walking beside her.

Lux wiggled as Cate buckled her in, laughing as the puppy licked her face. "She has to stay on the floor while we drive, okay?"

Lux nodded and watched as Cate placed the puppy on the floor before climbing into the passenger's seat and buckling up before Baze pulled out of the driveway.

"So, kiddo, what are you going to name her?" Baze smiled at Lux through the rear view mirror and Lux looked up from the puppy.

She shrugged slightly before giggling and trying to reach down to pat the dog. Cate smiled at her lovingly before smiling gratefully at Baze. She reached over and placed a hand on his arm, causing Baze to smile at her. "Thank you." She whispered referring to the idea, and Baze nodded.

"Daisy." Lux spoke up after a few moments of silence.

Cate turned in her seat, smiling at Lux confused. "What, babe?"

"That's her name. Daisy."

Cate smiled, looking between Baze and Lux. "That's a very pretty name, Lux." She praised. "Why did you choose it?"

"Coz Aunt Abby gave me a flower and it was called a daisy and she said it was pretty like me. And Daisy's pretty so that's her name."

Both Cate and Baze smiled at her proudly, Baze speaking up. "I think it's a perfect name, babe."

Both Lux and Daisy were fast asleep by the time they pulled up at the cabin and Cate climbed out, stretching. "Can you get her and I'll get the dog?"

Baze nodded, gently lifting Lux up from her car seat and carrying her inside, following Cate who had unlocked the door and was proceeding to take off Daisy's lead. Baze placed Lux on the couch and covered her with a blanket, both he and Cate smiling lovingly as Daisy jumped up onto the couch and Lux curled up beside her.

"I'll get the bags." Baze walked past Cate, a hand running across her back. Cate however, followed and stopped Baze before he could open the trunk.

She ran a hand down his arm, loosely holding his hand as she looked at him seriously. "Thank you. For today. For everything you've done lately. Lux is lucky to have you. We both are."

Baze smiled and wrapped an arm around Cate's neck, Cate immediately leaning into the hug. His response was a simple kiss to the top of Cate's head, but it said more than words ever could.

Cate pulled away after a few minutes and they both grabbed the bags, carrying them inside. Baze worked on starting a fire while Cate began to unpack some of the groceries. They decided against waking Lux for dinner seeing as she appeared to be sleeping and they had a big day tomorrow.

"I think she had fun today." Cate smiled sincerely, looking over at Lux who had subconsciously curled up with Daisy on the couch. Baze too smiled, both parents simply watching lovingly as Lux slept.


	29. Love Comes Back Around

**Chapter 29- Love Comes Back Around**

Lux and Baze slowly crept into the room Cate was staying in, making sure to stay as quiet as they could as they approached the sleeping Cate. Lux giggled but quickly covered her mouth and looked up at Baze who was smiling down at her, a tray full of food in his hands.

Lux whispered to Daisy to be quiet and Baze couldn't help but think it was the cutest thing he had ever seen. Lux had become a lot more relax and confident since they had left Portland, and even more so since they had bought Daisy. Lux and Daisy had immediately become "best friends" in Lux's words, and both parties refused to sleep or go anywhere without the other. To Lux, Daisy was like a safety blanket, and Daisy had taken to the protective role extremely easily; Baze couldn't help but think it was the best couple of hundred dollars he ever spent.

Lux picked up Daisy and placed her on the bed first before climbing up and joining her, both she and the puppy jumping on Cate. Cate smiled and grabbed her, pulling her down to lay beside her and smothering her in kisses. Lux laughed furiously causing Daisy to bark, and Baze smiled as he watched mother and daughter, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

Lux slowly relaxed into Cate's arms, and Cate shifted so that she was sitting up in the bed. "What's all this?"

"We made breakfast!" Lux giggled as if it was obvious. "Daddy said coz it's a holiday we can eat in bed but I didn't want to go back to bed so he said we could surprise you and eat in your bed."

Cate laughed, hugging Lux tightly. "Well lucky for daddy, pancakes don't drop many crumbs."

Lux somehow managed to convince Baze to crawl into bed beside her, and the family plus Daisy ate quickly while Lux relayed everything she and Baze had decided they were going to do today.

Cate helped Lux get dressed before braiding her hair and buckling her into the car, the three driving to their first destination, apple picking.

Lux jumped out of the car excitedly, Daisy following as she ran towards the entrance of the apple orchard and Cate and Baze followed closely behind.

"Mommy look at this one!" Lux had proceeded to hold up every single happy she had chosen, showing Cate proudly.

Cate laughed, looking at the apple as if it was the most amazing thing in the world. "Wow, babe, that's a great one. Do you think you can find an even better one?"

Lux nodded furiously and ran back over to Baze a few feet away. "Can you lift me daddy? The prettiest ones are at the top and I can't reach that high!"

Baze laughed and lifted Lux up in one shift motion, balancing her on his shoulder as Lux giggled and picked as many as she could.

By the time they were finished, Lux had successfully managed to fill two buckets with "pretty" apples and she ran ahead with Daisy, Cate and Baze following as they made their way to the car.

"Mommy?" Lux asked curiously as they drove to their next destination.

Cate turned around in her seat and smiled at Lux. "Yeah babe?"

"How come we don't live here?"

Cate and Baze both laughed slightly, exchanging a look before Baze answered her. "Because we live in Portland, kiddo."

"Why?" Lux sighed. "If we live here, then we can pick apples everyday!"

Cate smile widen and Baze stifled a smirk. "But what about school? And grandma and grandpa, and granny and Aunt Abby? And Uncle Ryan and Aunty Alice? We wouldn't get to see them as much if we lived here."

Lux sighed, thinking of a solution. "They could live here too!"

Cate and Baze laughed before Baze spoke up again. "But how are we all going to fit in the house?"

Lux thought about it for a moment, coming up with a solution. "You and mommy and I can sleep in the same bed! And I can be in the middle though coz I'm the smallest and you're bigger than me."

Baze and Cate both laughed, nodding. "But what about when you get bigger? We're not all going to fit in one bed."

"Uh huh!" Lux nodded furiously before pausing. "I like it here." Lux's voice was softer this time. "There's no bad people here."

Cate looked over at Baze only to find him looking back at her with the same expression, neither knowing what to say. Finally Cate forced a smile and turned back to Lux, reaching to put a hand on her knee. "I'll tell you what, sweetie. I promise that every year you and daddy and I can come back here, okay? And we'll have a vacation just like this one."

Lux nodded happily. "And Daisy too."

"And Daisy too." Cate qualified, smiling.

After a few hours of sight-seeing, Baze pulled into a farm and both Lux and Cate looked around curiously. He had refused to tell them this part of the surprise, though he knew Lux was going to love it. Cate on the other hand, might be a little harder to convince.

"Nate Bazile?" An older couple came over to meet the car once Baze had parked, and he held out a hand, carrying Lux and Daisy's dog lead with his other.

"That's me." He signaled to Cate. "And this is my girlfriend Cate, and our daughter, Lux." Cate froze at being introduced as his girlfriend, though Baze didn't appear to even notice.

"Nice to meet you all. I'm Wendy, and this is my husband, Jim. We run the place. And we understand you were interested in some riding lessons."

Baze nodded, Lux looked excited yet confused, while Cate just looked terrified. "Well, come on this way then and we'll introduce you to a few of the horses. You dog will be fine if you want to let her off the lead? We have six roaming around here somewhere."

Baze let Daisy free as Lux's face lit up and she bounced excitedly in Baze's arms, pointing out every horse she saw while the adults laughed.

"Daddy look at that one!" Lux pointed to one of the ponies in the paddock they stopped at.

Lux looked around in awe and Baze, Wendy and Jim smiled at her. "Well, Lux, how would you like to ride one?"

Lux's face lit up and she looked between Cate and Baze. "Can I?"

"Of course, kiddo."

"I don't know, babe..."

Both Cate and Baze answered at the same time and turned to each other accusingly. "She's four years old, Baze!" Cate whispered once Baze had placed Lux on the ground and sent her over with Wendy and Jim to pat the horses.

"And? Come on, Cate, relax. I made sure the instructors chose the safest horse possible, and it's not like we won't be with her every second."

Cate still looked unconvinced and was about to argue, but looking over at Lux laughing happily as she petted the horse, she decided against it. "Okay." She finally sighed, giving in. "But if she gets hurt, I swear to god Baze..."

Baze smirked amused and wrapped an arm around Cate's shoulders, leading the reluctant mother over to the group.

"All good to go?" Jim smiled kindly and Lux looked up at her parents expectantly.

Cate sighed, pausing before replying. "She's going to need a helmet, and proper boots and arm and knee pads. Oh, and I want her in the smallest, calmest horse possible. Actually, you know what? She doesn't even have to move while she's on it. She can just sit quickly and we'll get a picture and that can be enough."

Wendy and Jim both laughed causing Cate to blush. "Guess I'm not the first nervous parents you've had, huh?"

The older couple both shook their heads amused. "Don't worry, dear. We've been doing this for over forty years and we've never had a student fall their first time. Lux will be fine." Wendy smiled before turning her attention to Lux. "Are you ready to ride a horse, Lux?"

Lux giggled and nodded, nervously hiding behind Baze's arm. Wendy held out her hand to Lux and looked took it hesitantly, the two following Jim as he lead the group over to an already saddled Connemara Pony.

Lux listened carefully to everything Wendy and Jim were saying, as did Cate and Baze, and nodded excitedly when Jim asked if she was ready to get on.

Cate's hands hovered under Lux as Baze picked her up and lifted her onto the pony, helping Wendy and Jim to get Lux comfortable. Lux grinned proudly. "Look momma!"

No matter how scared she was, Cate had to admit she was proud of Lux as she watched her daughter being slowly walked around the paddock by Jim.

"You're a natural, kiddo!" Baze exclaimed, catching Lux as she barreled into his arms excitedly.

"Did you see me?" Lux asked her parents proudly. "I rode a horse!"

Cate and Baze both laughed and nodded proudly. "You did so great, baby." Cate grinned.

After they said their goodbyes and rounded up Daisy, Cate and Baze agreed it was time to head back to the cabin. It had been a long day and they both knew Lux was tired, even if she didn't seem it as she happily rambled about everything they had done that day.

Baze had offered to cook dinner while Cate watched Lux play outside with Daisy, and the brunette mother currently sat on the wooden steps leading to the front door as she watched Lux and Daisy playing on the grass in front of her.

"Mommy?"

Cate looked up from the grass she was fiddling with, smiling as Lux slowly walked over to her and perched herself on the step in front of her, Cate wrapping her arms around Lux from behind. "Mmm?"

"Can we do fun stuff tomorrow too?"

Cate frowned slightly, kissing Lux's head. "We've got to go back home tomorrow, sweetie. But I promise we can do fun things there too."

Lux shook her head, resting it tiredly against Cate's chest. "I don't want to go home."

"Mmm... me neither, babe. But we have to. Aren't you excited to sleep in your own bed?"

Again Lux shook her head and began to play with Cate's hands. "I like your bed."

Cate smiled, leaning her cheek against Lux's head. "Well I like having you in my bed, but you can't sleep in there forever."

Lux looked up at her confused. "Coz daddy doesn't have a bed then?"

Cate couldn't help but smile slightly but she shook her head no. "No... because big girls sleep in their own beds. I thought you liked your bed?"

"Uh huh. I do." Lux nodded enthusiastically. "But I like yours better."

Cate smiled, placing a kiss to Lux's head in response. They sat in silence for a while, both enjoying the others company as they watched Daisy play on the lawn.

After a while, Cate stood up and held out her hand to Lux who took it and called for Daisy to follow them inside. They ate dinner quickly and played in the lounge for a while before Cate put Lux to bed.

"She out?" Baze asked as he finished off the dishes and joined Cate in the lounge room.

Cate looked up from her position on the couch and smiled at him, nodding. "Like a light."

"Understandably. It was a big day."

Cate shifted over on the couch and made room for Baze to sit, looking at him intently. "It was an amazing day, Baze." She smiled sincerely. "Thank you."

Baze nodded and smiled, reaching over to rub the back of Cate's neck as she tiredly leaned into the touch. "You know, I think Lux is feeling better..." Baze broke the silence after a few minutes.

Cate tried to hide her slight smirk, knowing exactly what he was talking about. "She is." Baze nodded in agreement, moving over to kiss a line down Cate's neck. "Even sleeping in her own bed."

Baze mumbled something into Cate's neck and she smiled, turning to kiss him properly. Baze deepened it until it was a full-on make out session on the couch, the fire providing the only light as Baze began to undress Cate's clothes.


	30. All This Beauty

**A/N: Only two reviews on the last chapter :( I'm scared this board is going to dry out before the second season. Feel free to reassure me that there are still people reading this! And thanks to red lighting and hfce for reviewing the last chapter (as well as everyone who read and reviewed in the past)! Please review :)**

**Chapter 30- All This Beauty**

Cate slowly woke up in the bed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she took in her surroundings. Her arm was sprawled across Baze's bare chest where her head also rested, and apparently some time through out the night, they had moved from the lounge room to the bedroom.

"Good morning." Cate looked up surprised when she felt Baze gently rub his hand along Cate's arm, and he smiled down at her, dropping a kiss to the top of her head.

Cate smiled in content and snuggled further into Baze's arms. "Mmm… good morning. Is Lux up yet?"

Baze shrugged slightly, gently tracing patterns on Cate's naked back. "Haven't heard her. She'd wake us if she was."

Cate nodded, smiling as she turned and pulling Baze over on top of her. He smirked, swooping down to kiss her deeply. Cate looped her arm around Baze's neck, deepening the kiss as she shifted under him.

"Stop it!" Baze and Cate pulled apart suddenly at the scream, both as stunned as the other as they looked over to see a terrified Lux standing in the threshold of the room. "Get off!"

Lux ran across the room and began to hit Baze as hard and as fast as she could. Baze and Cate were stunned and Cate pulled the sheet over herself protectively as she watched Baze capture Lux's hands, stilling her movements. "Stop it!"

"Lux, what happened, baby? What's wrong?" Cate asked panicking after regaining herself from the shock. She quickly through on some clothes before rushing over to Lux and squatting down in front of her, checking her over for physical injuries first.

Baze was still stunned as he pulled on his own clothes and watched as Lux wrapped her arms around Cate's neck furiously, crying. "He was hurting you." Lux sobbed and Cate looked up at Baze concerned.

Cate pulled back enough to look at Lux and wipe her tears while her other hand gently stroked Lux's hair. "Sweetie, what are you talking about? Daddy wasn't hurting me. I'm sorry that you thought he was."

"He was." Lux's voice hitched in her throat and her lip quivered furiously as her tears continued to stream. "You said that what Kevin did was bad. He hurt me. And daddy was hurting you."

Both Cate and Baze froze, coming to the same, horrifying conclusion. "Lux…" Baze sighed, squatting down beside Lux. Lux inched away from him, her arms tightening around Cate's neck. "I promise I wasn't hurting mommy."

"When Kevin hurt you, he was doing something that grown ups like to do. It's okay for grown ups to do that with other grown ups, but grown ups aren't allowed to do that with kids because it hurts them and they're not big enough yet." Cate forced a reassuring smile through her own tears, rubbing Lux's tears away with her thumb. "Daddy wasn't hurting mommy, because mommy loves daddy and that's something that people should do when they're in love. But Kevin was a bad grown up and he did something he wasn't allowed to do."

Lux still looked confused and scared. "But he said we were playing the married game coz he loved me."

"Lux…" Cate didn't know what else to say as she took Lux back into her arms, wanting nothing more than to take all of her pain away.

Baze had the same broken yet furious expression he had on his face when Lux had been taken, and Cate looked at him over Lux's shoulder, both parents at a loss for what to do.

Over the course of the morning, Lux clung to Cate's side, but by lunch time, she was beginning to relax with Baze again. "Have you finished packing, kiddo?" Baze asked as he lifted the bags into the trunk of his car, watching as Lux and Daisy played on the lawn.

Lux looked up and nodded. "Uh huh. Mommy said I could play."

Baze smiled. "Okay, but not too long, alright? We're going to leave soon."

Lux didn't seem to be paying attention as Baze walked back inside the cabin, walking over to where Cate was pulling her and Lux's bags down the hallway. He laughed, grabbing them easily from a grateful Cate and carrying them outside.

"Lux, we're going to get going, okay? It's time to get in the car now." Cate strolled over to Lux as the blonde laughed and jumped around with Daisy.

When Lux didn't respond, Cate tried again. "Lux, it's time to go. Come get in the car please."

Lux shook her head no, folding her arms. "Lux, now."

Again Lux shook her head and glared at Cate. Cate placed her arms on her hips, looking back at her, mother and daughter challenging each other. Baze swooped in a second later, scooping up Lux and throwing her other his shoulder as Lux giggled. "You heard your mom. Time to go, kiddo."

Lux complained the first twenty minutes of the drive, but was fast asleep by the time they arrived in Portland. Cate carried her inside as Baze unpacked the car before both of them collapsed on the couch.

Cate shifted so that she was laying on Baze and smiled as he kissed her head. To be honest, this was more along the lines of how she pictured life at age twenty. She never thought she would have a kid; one who had been through hell at that; and sometimes it scared her just how fast her life was changing. She had to admit it, sometimes it was just nice to relax; to not think about being a mom, or work, or life as a whole.

"You said you loved me, you know?" Baze's voice broke the silence, and without even looking at him, Cate could tell he was smirking.

Cate feigned confusion, lifting her head to rest her chin on his chest and looking at him. "I did?"

Baze nodded, smirking and lifting a hand to play with the ends of Cate's hair. "Yep."

"Huh." Cate smiled, shifting up until her face was hovering over his.

Baze smiled and closed the gap between their lips, kissing her quickly. "I love you too, Cate."

Cate's smile widen and she looked at him lovingly, kissing him once more before laying her head back on his chest.

Baze rubbed her back, tracing patterns as they lay in silence. "We have to talk to her, you know? About what she saw this morning... about what happened to her." Once again, it was Baze who broke the silence.

Cate nodded reluctantly, her eyes glassing over. "I know." She whispered, her voice cracking at being reminded once again of her daughter's abuse.


	31. If I Ever Did Believe

**Chapter 31- If I Ever Did Believe**

Cate crept into Lux's room, smiling as she saw Lux sprawled out in the bed; the covers were half on the floor and her pillow was down the opposite end.

Cate slowly bent down beside the bed and placed her lips to Lux's forehead, whispering. "Good morning sweet girl."

Lux slowly stirred, yawning adorably as she tried to adjust her eyes to the light. "Mommy?"

"Morning baby." Cate smiled, brushing back Lux's hair.

Lux was still half asleep as she reached her arms out and Cate picked her up, carrying her out to the kitchen. "What do you want for breakfast?"

Lux leant her head on Cate's shoulder, yawning. "Daddy's pancakes." She whispered.

"Daddy went to talk to some people." Cate smiled down at her, referring to Baze's college professors. "How about we have mommy's pancakes instead?"

Lux scrunched her face up in disgust and shook her head no. "Yucky."

"Yucky?" Cate questioned jokingly, tickling Lux. "Did you just say my pancakes were yucky?"

Lux laughed furiously, squirming as she nodded. Cate laughed and gently placed her on the floor, squatting down in front of her. "Well how about cereal then? And we can ask daddy if he can make us pancakes tomorrow, okay?"

Lux nodded and went into the lounge room, Cate following. Cate turned on the TV and flipped it on to a children's channel before heading back to the kitchen and organizing breakfast.

Cate smiled as she slowly walked back over to the lounge room with breakfast, watching as Lux spun around in a circle and danced like the person she was watching on TV. She was actually pretty good for a four year old, and Cate couldn't help but wonder if the love she used to have for dancing had been passed down to Lux.

"Wow, babe. You're a really good dancer." She commented, trying to grasp Lux's opinion on the subject. She and Baze had been discussing getting Lux involved in some kind of sport as a way to help her recover and go back to normal faster, but they had never even thought about dancing.

Lux spun around proudly like a ballerina. "Look momma! I can do it just like her!"

Cate smiled, laughing slightly. "You can. I think you're even better than her."

"Uh huh." Lux giggled, coming to stand by the coffee table and eating her cookie crisps one by one. "Cept she has pretty clothes."

"Well you can get some pretty clothes like hers too if you want?" Cate offered, watching as Lux struggled to tear her eyes away from the dancer on the TV.

Lux's face lit up and she looked at Cate hopefully, nodding furiously. "I do!"

Cate laughed, nodding. "Well what do we say when we want something?"

"Please." Lux shot her a smile Cate couldn't resist and Cate nodded, smiling back at her.

"Okay, sweetie. Well how about you and I go and get some today before daddy gets back?" Cate knew that Lux was Baze's little "princess" and no matter how hard he tried to hide it, she always saw his face light up when she came out dressed in girly clothes.

Lux nodded enthusiastically. "Can we go now?"

"How about we finish eating first?" Cate laughed. "Then we'll get dressed and go to the shops, okay?"

Lux nodded again and ate as fast as she could before running off into her room and waiting for Cate to come and help her get dressed. Cate's phone rang before she could reach Lux's room and she walked back into the lounge room, answering it. "Hello?"

_"Hey, it's me."_ Alice's voice flowed through the receiver.

Cate smiled, watching as Lux ran out to show her the top she had picked out and nodded in agreement. "What's up?"

_"Look, you know I wouldn't call you unless it was important, but you need to come to work today. Corporate's here."_

Cate could have slapped herself for being so stupid. Of course the "big guns" would show up sooner or later seeing as she technically was still a radio host yet had left Ryan hanging for over a month.

_"Cate?"_ Alice's voice broke through her thoughts. _"So can we expect you in?"_

Cate sighed, rubbing her forehead as she thought. "Uh... Baze has some things to take care of, so I'd have to bring Lux?"

_"That's fine. Just make sure you show up."_

Cate smiled apologetically as Lux came out again. "Okay." She sighed. "I'll be there soon."

Cate hung up the phone and turned to Lux, squatting down in front of her and smiling apologetically. "I'm sorry, baby. That was Aunty Alice. We have to go to into work for a little while, but we can go to the shops straight after that, okay?"

Lux looked disappointed but nodded. "And hey, I'm sure Uncle Ryan and Aunty Alice would love to see you?"

Lux's face lit up a little and she smiled, nodding. They got changed and drove to the station quickly, Cate taking Lux's hand as they entered the elevator and Lux pressed the floor button.

"Aunty Alice!" Lux screamed excitedly as she ran from the elevator into Alice's surprised but awaiting arms.

Alice smiled widely at her, completely forgetting she was in the middle of a conversation with her boss. "Hey dimples. How are you doing?"

"Good." Lux smiled proudly before turning to the group of people staring at her. "Who are you?" She scrunched her face up, trying to decide if she liked them or not.

"Who is _this_?" Trina asked Alice slightly coldly, referring to Lux.

Cate joined them before Alice could answer, nervously looking at Trina. "This is Lux. She's, uh, the reason I've been away for so long. She's my daughter."

"Huh." Trina honestly didn't know what else to say. "Since when do you have a kid?"

"She's four." Cate answered, finding herself defensive. "What can we help you with, Trina?"

Trina raised an eyebrow, looking at Lux before looking back at Cate. Both Alice and Cate got the point though Alice acted first, smiling at Lux. "How about we go see Ryan, huh?"

Cate turned back to Trina after watching Lux and Alice leave, folding her arms across her chest expectantly. "Well?"

"Hmm, well let's see. You're one of the two main hosts on the most popular talk show in Portland, yet you haven't shown up once in almost two months. I'm surprised we didn't hear about it earlier."

Cate bit her gum sheepishly, trying to come up with an excuse that wouldn't aggravate her boss even more. "I've been busy with Lux. She's been... sick... for a while." It wasn't completely untrue.

"I'm not understanding how that affects _your_ ability to do your job." Her voice was almost sarcastic. "You have a contract with the station."

"I know." Cate didn't know what else to say. "Her father and I were actually just working out a schedule this morning so I can come back tomorrow." She was lying, but Cate couldn't afford to lose her job.

"We'll see about that." Trina and the rest of the team left and Cate stood dumbfounded, unsure of what she meant by the cryptic message.

Lux sat on Ryan's lap as he did the show after agreeing to be completely quiet. He went to an ad break and Cate took the opportunity to slip into the booth, smiling widely at Lux as she put on her headset.

"You're back with Cate and Ryan on K100's Morning Madness. And if you're just joining us now, so is Cate." Ryan smirked at her, Lux watching in awe.

"Thanks, Ryan." She said slightly sarcastically.

Ryan nodded, talking into the microphone. "So Cate, care to explain to the listeners where you've been for the last month? Rehab? Jail?"

Cate raised an eyebrow at him, nodding to her daughter in his lap as Ryan smirked sheepishly. "You know how people always say that kids take up 100% of your time? Well it turns out they take up 110%." Cate smiled, looking at Lux lovingly as she paused. "I met my daughter. Lux."

Ryan smiled and nodded at her proudly before smiling down at Lux. "And we have a very special guest in the studio today, ladies and gentleman. Portland's very own, Lux Cassidy." He nodded down at her and she stood on his knee nervously, looking at the microphone before looking at her mom.

"Hi." Lux spoke nervously into the microphone causing Cate, Ryan and Alice to all beam.

The rest of the show seemed to go faster than usual, with Lux growing much more confident and speaking up whenever Ryan or Cate signaled for her to. Lux proceeded to talk about it the entire day, using her cuteness to weasel a ton of gifts out of Cate when they hit the mall.

"Daddy!" Lux screeched as she ran ahead of Cate into the house. Baze came to the foyer and met her a second later, picking her up. "Guess what! I got to talk like mommy does!"

"I know, kiddo. I heard you!" Baze grinned proudly. To be honest, it was one of the proudest so far as a dad. "You were great!"

Lux nodded. "That's what mommy and Uncle Ryan and Aunty Alice said! And mommy bought me lots of presents!"

Baze raised an eyebrow as Cate sheepishly walked through the front door, her arms filled with bags from various children's stores.

"Uh huh!" Lux wriggled out of Baze's arms and over to the bags Cate had just put down, sorting through them until she found the pink ballerina tutu they had bought. "Look!"

"Wow." Baze smiled, squatting down in front of her and looking over the piece of clothing. "What's this for?"

"Mommy said I could do dance like the girl on TV!" Lux grinned happily and dragged Baze into the room to show him the video they had recorded of the rest of the show.

Cate and Baze sat on the couch, watching as Lux happily mimicked what she was watching, beaming proudly.

**A/N: Please Review :)**


	32. All The Small Things

**A/N: Thank you so much for reviewing! Sorry it took a few days! I actually had these updates written two days ago but the site wouldn't let me upload :( But here it is, hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 32- All The Small Things**

"Lux, what do you want for breakfast?" Baze called to Lux from the kitchen. He assumed she was playing in her room, seeing as she wasn't in the lounge room.

Cate had reluctantly returned to work at the beginning of the week while Baze had also returned to school and the bar, leading to the complicated schedule they were working with now, at least until Lux returned to school. Cate would leave for work before Baze and Lux were up, Baze would cover breakfast, and Cate would be home in time for Baze to go his lectures at 9. Lux would spend the day with Cate if Baze had school, and Baze would swing by the bar to make sure everything was okay at night after Lux was in bed. Today however, was different.

Lux pulled Daisy into the kitchen by her lead causing Baze to smirk, amused. "Why is Daisy on her lead?"

"Coz mommy said she has to be before we leave the house."

Baze frowned, squatting down beside Lux as she took a seat at the table. "Babe, Daisy can't come with us today. We're going to go see Dr. Cameron, remember?"

Lux frowned, thinking before shaking her head. "I don't want to go." She folded her arms across her chest and stomped into the lounge room, Daisy and Baze both following.

"Because Daisy can't come?" Lux nodded, bordering between crying and throwing a tantrum. "Lux, you can play with Daisy when you get home."

Lux shook her head, trying her puppy dog eyes on Baze. Usually unable to resist them, Baze surprised both himself and Lux when he said no. "I'll tell you what?" He bargained. "How about I take a picture of Daisy and you can keep the picture in your pocket? That way it'll be like she's there even though she's not."

Lux thought for a second before nodding and smiling, waiting for Baze to get the camera. He returned seconds later and Lux proceeded to swap between posing with Daisy, having pictures of herself taken, and taking pictures of Daisy alone.

Baze scooped Lux up and balanced her on his hip, smiling at her. "Let's go get these made, huh? Then mommy will come and meet us at Dr. Cameron's."

Lux nodded, wiggling out of Baze's arms and saying goodbye to Daisy before rushing towards the door. Baze smirked, turning off the stove and grabbing his and Lux's coats before following her.

They swung by McDonald's quickly before developing the photos, seeing as they had left before breakfast. "Look at this one, daddy!" Lux pointed excitedly to the picture of herself and Daisy.

Baze smiled as he unlocked his car and buckled Lux in. He smirked as Lux continued to ramble, only quieting when they pulled up in the car park of Dr. Cameron's office.

Lux gripped on to Baze as he carried her inside. "Where's mommy?" Lux whispered, shyly hiding her head in Baze's shoulder as he sat in the waiting room chair with Lux on his lap.

"She'll be here soon, kiddo." Baze assured, checking the clock on the wall.

Half an hour later, Cate was still a no show and both Lux and Baze were becoming more anxious as the time past.

"Hello, Lux." Dr. Cameron smiled as she emerged into the waiting room.

Lux looked up at her name, but turned and gripped tightly to Baze, whispering to him. "We can't go yet. Mommy's not here."

Baze cupped the back of Lux's head, deciding what to do. He sighed and followed Dr. Cameron into her office despite Lux's protests. "Don't worry, babe. Mommy promised she'd be here. She'll be here soon."

Lux refused to move off of Baze's lap when Dr. Cameron suggested they talk alone, leading to a very uncomfortable Baze sitting in a chair at the small table, Lux in his lap as she and Dr. Cameron drew pictures.

"You know Lux, your dad and I had a little talk. He told me you had a scary thing happen to you a couple of weeks ago." Dr. Cameron made sure to only mention Baze in order to avoid reminding Lux that Cate wasn't there.

Lux looked up quickly, nodding slightly before looking down at her picture and coloring the paper hard, allowing Dr. Cameron to continue. "He told me that the scary man took you away from your mom and dad, and did some hurtful things to you. Is that what happened?"

Lux nodded, biting her lip to keep herself from crying and grabbing Baze's arm tightly as he tightened his grip around her waist. "Do you want to tell me what happened when he took you?"

Lux shook her head no, turning in Baze's lap and burying herself in his arms. Dr. Cameron looked on sympathetically, leaning forward towards Lux and talking gently. "Lux... I want you to remember something okay? What the bad man did to you, how he hurt you, is not your fault. You did nothing wrong; you're a good girl, and your mom and dad love you very much." She looked up at Baze whose face was contorted, and smiled sadly. "Isn't that right, dad?"

Baze nodded, cupping the back of Lux's head and kissing her cheek. "I love you so much, Lux." He whispered, his eyes glassing over.

"Hey, Lux." Dr. Cameron smiled after a few minutes. "You know, I was thinking that maybe you can come back and visit over the next couple of weeks. Would that be okay with you?"

Lux turned in Baze's arms and smiled slightly, nodding. "Uh huh." She whispered.

Dr. Cameron smiled at her, standing up. Baze followed her cue, balancing Lux on his hip. "Great. Well I for one cannot wait till next week. Maybe then you can tell me all about your holiday with your mom and dad."

Lux face lit up and she smiled widely, nodding. "I got a doggy called Daisy!"

"You did?" Dr. Cameron grinned, interested. "Wow. What color is she?"

"Yellow." Lux grinned, holding her hair out for proof. "Like me!"

"Wow." Dr. Cameron smiled, leading them back out into the waiting room. "Well I can't wait to hear more about her. I'll see you next week, Lux."

Lux waved goodbye as Baze nodded the same, and the two headed out to Baze's car. "What do you say we go and get some ice cream for lunch?"

Lux smiled widely nodding. "Yeah!" Her expression changed and she looked at Baze sadly. "But mommy said I can't have sweet stuff for lunch coz it's not healthy and we have to have healthy stuff first."

Baze smirked slightly, imagining Cate saying that. He frowned, checking the time again and noticing Cate still hadn't called. "Well then we don't have to tell mommy, do we? It can be our little secret." He smiled at Lux, pushing his thoughts aside.

They swung by the ice cream parlor before they headed home, and by the time they had arrived, Lux had completely forgotten about Cate not showing up for her appointment.

By the time Cate finally arrived home, Baze was helping Lux get ready for bed. "Baze? Lux?"

Both Baze and Lux made their way out to the foyer where Cate was rushing to hang up her coat and purse. "Lux..." Cate sighed apologetically, rushing over to squat down in front of her. "I am so sorry, baby."

"You didn't come." Lux whispered, looking anywhere but Cate.

"I know, sweetie, and I am so sorry." Cate felt her heart breaking as Lux pulled away from her. "There was a problem at work and mommy couldn't leave."

Lux ignored her, turning to Baze and reaching up to be picked up. "Can you read me a story?" Lux whispered, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Sure, kiddo." Baze smiled sympathetically at Cate, kissing Lux's head as he carried her to her room. "Do you want to say goodnight to mommy first?"

Lux shook her head, hiding in Baze's shoulder. Cate stood up slowly, watching as they disappeared into Lux's bedroom, the door closing behind them.


	33. Truth Doesn't Make A Noise

**Chapter 33- Truth Doesn't Make A Noise**

"She okay?" Cate asked the second Baze emerged. He could tell she was worried, and that she felt terrible, but he couldn't help but be angry.

"She's fine. She's asleep." He didn't make eye contact as he proceeded to collect his and Lux's dishes from dinner.

Cate bit her lip, walking over to Baze in the lounge room from the kitchen. "Well did she say anything? Should I go and talk to her?"

"She's asleep, Cate." Baze walked past Cate and into the kitchen, placing the dishes in the sink and beginning to run the water.

"Well, what did Dr. Cameron say?"

Baze continued to avoid her gaze, scrubbing the pot he was washing hard in order to control his anger. "Nothing. Lux refused to talk. She was scared because her _mom_ wasn't there like she promised."

"Baze..." Cate sighed, moving forward to loop her arms around his waist as he washed the dishes.

Baze turned around angrily, throwing the wash cloth in the sink. "Where the hell were you, Cate?"

"Baze, come on..." Again Cate tried to reach out to him, unsure of what else to do.

Baze pulled back, starring at her angrily. "No, Cate. Where were you? Our daughter was seeing a therapist to try to get over her kidnapping, her _rape_, and her mom who promised she would be there, wasn't. What the hell was so important?"

Cate bit her lip, her eyes glassing over as she folded her arms across her chest protectively. "I was at work. Corporate was there and I couldn't leave."

"Your work is more important than our daughter now?" Baze knew it wasn't a voluntary choice, but he honestly couldn't understand how Cate could break her promise, especially not with everything that had happened to Lux.

"Of course it isn't!" Cate's barrier broke and angry tears spilled down her cheeks. "I love Lux more than anything in the entire world, you know that, but I couldn't leave. I can't lose my job." She paused, running a shaky hand through her hair. "This isn't how I expected everything to go, you know. My life. I had things that I wanted to do. I wanted to travel, I wanted to be a journalist. I didn't want to spend my life as a stay at home mom at age 20! That just wasn't in the plan."

"Plans change, Cate." Baze sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You can't blame Lux for that."

"I don't." Cate whispered. "I just want everything to be okay. I want to take all of the bad things away, and be a family with Lux, and with you, but it scares the hell out of me that that may be the extent of my life."

Cate brought her hands to her face, no longer able to stop her crying. Baze came to her side seconds later, hesitating before wrapping his arms around her shoulders and allowing Cate to cry into his chest.

"It doesn't have to be, Cate. You are a great mom, and I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but things will get better. Lux will start to get back to normal, and slowly the bad things will disappear. But it's going to take time, and she needs all the help she can get. She needs you. So maybe, for the mean time, you need to push your own dreams away and just be there for your daughter. And let me be there for you."

Cate nodded slowly against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist and standing in a comfortable silence for a few minutes.

"I don't deserve someone as great as you." Cate whispered, breaking the silence.

Baze pulled back slightly, cupping the side of Cate's face. "You deserve everything, Cate Cassidy."

Cate slowly smiled and she reached up, kissing Baze lovingly. He pulled back after a few minutes and led her over to the couch, taking a seat before Cate fell into his, curling up against him and tracing patterns on his chest. "How am I going to make it up to her?" Cate eventually whispered.

Baze sighed, shrugging slightly as he twirled one of Cate's curls around his finger. "Just prove to her that you're going to be there for her. She needs her mom."

Cate nodded, laying her head on Baze's chest, both watching the TV though neither was really paying attention. Baze drifted off to sleep sometime after 10pm, and Cate slowly crawled out of his lap, careful not to wake him.

Cate crept down the hall and slowly pushed Lux's door open, watching as her daughter slept. She smiled slightly, her eyes filling with tears. She crossed the room quietly, crawling into bed behind Lux and gently wrapping her arm around Lux's body before kissing her head.

Lux woke before Cate did in the morning, confused. "Mommy?" She whispered.

Cate slowly stirred, smiling at Lux when she saw where she was. "Hi, baby."

"You're in my bed."

Cate nodded, disappointed when Lux crawled out of her arms and off of the bed. "I wanted to spend the night with my girl."

Cate couldn't tell Lux expression but she looked a mixture of confusion, relief and hurt. "Where's daddy?" Cate couldn't hide her own hurt at Lux's response.

"I think he might have already left." To be honest, Cate had heard him leave about an hour ago but she didn't want to get up. "He had school today remember?"

Lux left the room in search of her father before responding, and Cate pulled herself out of Lux's bed to follow, not sure of what she could do to make it up.

After Lux's search ended with no avail, she settled on the couch, her lip quivering as she clutched her penguin to her chest. Cate noticed and joined her on the couch, concerned when she saw Lux was on the verge of tears. "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

Lux pulled away when Cate tried to reach out to her, her face crumbling. "I want daddy."

Cate tried to wrap her arms around Lux but Lux refused, pulling away and not noticing the obvious hurt on Cate's face. "Lux, daddy had to go to school. I promise he'll be back soon."

Lux curled up on the couch as far away from Cate as she could get, crying. "He left."

"No, baby, daddy didn't leave. He'll be back soon."

Lux shook her head. "He left like you did." She sobbed. "You promised."

"Lux..." Cate felt overwhelming guilt as she watched her daughter cry, but couldn't help but be a little relieved when Lux allowed Cate to pull her into her arms. "Baby, daddy didn't leave you. And yesterday, I really wanted to be there with you, but I couldn't be because I had to go to work. I'm really sorry that I broke my promise, but I promise I'm never going to do that again, okay? From now on, if you ever need me or want me, just tell me and I'll be right there, okay?"

Lux slowly nodded, looking up. "Pinky promise?"

"Pinky promise." Cate smiled, wrapping her own pinky around Lux's before smothering her daughter's hand and arm in kisses causing Lux to giggle.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Lux curled up in Cate's lap as Cate held her tightly. "How about we do something special today to make up for me not being there yesterday? You can choose and it'll just you and me, okay?"

Lux nodded excitedly, turning to look at her mom. "The zoo!"

"The zoo?" Cate laughed. "We went a few weeks ago."

Lux nodded. "Uh huh. Cept I like the penguins coz they're my favorite." She walked towards the hallway, turning back and throwing Cate a smile she couldn't resist. "Plus, you said I could pick."

Cate smirked at her daughter's wise beyond her years attitude, following Lux down the hallway and getting ready for the day.

**A/N: Next chapter will have Cate basically making up for not being there for Lux and should be up this afternoon :) I want to have Jones and Lux hanging out soon, plus Lux returning to school and Lux's birthday. Anyone got any requests/ideas? Please let me know :)**


	34. Serendipity

**Chapter 34- Serendipity**

Lux spoke excitedly as she and Cate walked hand in hand through the exit of the zoo, their arms swinging.

Lux stopped and looked up after a few minutes, confusion written across her face. "Mommy?"

"Hmm?" Cate smiled down at her, pulling Lux towards her and wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"How come daddy goes to school?"

Cate thought for a second, deciding how to answer. "Because daddy wants to learn too."

"But he's old."

Cate laughed, picking Lux up and carrying her on her hip as they crossed the car park. "Daddy's not old, babe." Cate wasn't sure how to explain to her daughter that they were a lot younger than most parents. "And he goes to school so that he can learn special things he needs for his job."

"At the restaurant?" Lux stumbled over the word restaurant causing Cate to smile at her cuteness.

"Is that what daddy told you he worked?"

Lux shook her head no, smiling widely. "Uncle Jamie."

Cate laughed, nodding as she placed Lux in her car seat. "Uh huh. At the restaurant with Uncle Jamie." She smirked to herself as she referred to the bar as a restaurant.

"How come I don't get to go to school anymore?" Lux broke the silence after a few minutes of driving.

Cate turned back to look at her as they paused at the traffic lights. "Do you want to go back to school?"

"Uh huh." Lux nodded. "Coz I got to draw lots and play and we got milk and Jones played with me."

Cate smiled slightly, her attention turning back to the road. "You know you can draw and play at home with mommy and daddy."

"Uh huh. Cept it's funner at school and I get to be a big kid and all my friends are at school."

Cate drifted the subject away from school, already nervous enough with just leaving Lux with Baze, let alone with a teacher who has another fifteen kids to take care of. "Who's your best friend?"

"Jones!" Lux giggled as if it was obvious. "And Erin and Max and Shelby and Beth and James and Alex and Same. Cept I don't like Connor coz he's mean."

Cate smiled, slightly amused. "Do you miss playing with your friends?"

"Uh huh." Lux nodded, though her response was a little quieter than earlier.

Cate thought before replying, wondering if it was too soon. "Well... do you want to have a play date with Jones or someone soon?"

Lux's face lit up and she nodded excitedly. "Uh huh! And Jones can see Daisy!"

Cate laughed, pulling into her driveway. "Okay. I'll talk to Jones mom and see if he can come over."

"Tonight?"

Cate smiled, lifting Lux and balancing her on her hip as she grabbed the things they had bought during the day. "It's too late, baby. Maybe tomorrow after Jones finishes school, okay?"

Lux frowned, resting her head on Cate's shoulder as Cate unlocked the front door. "I want to go to school too."

Cate frowned worriedly, unsure of how to answer. To was, she didn't want Lux to leave her sight. "We'll see, sweetie. I have to talk to daddy first, okay?"

Lux accepted the answer, wriggling out of Cate's arms and walking into the lounge room. Cate smiled, watching her before heading into the kitchen. Lux entertained herself for a few hours as Cate cleaned the house, both looking up when the front door opened.

"I'm home!"

Lux jumped up excitedly, running into Baze's awaiting arms. "Daddy!"

"Hey kiddo. How was your day with mommy?"

Lux began to relay everything she and Cate had done in the day as Baze carried her into the kitchen, greeting Cate with a kiss. "Hi beautiful."

"Hi." Cate smiled, wrapping her arms around Baze's neck and deepening the kiss.

Lux scrunched up her face, looking away. "Yuck!"

Cate and Baze pulled apart, both laughing and exchanging a smirk before smothering Lux's face in kisses, earning more disgusted exclaims from Lux. Eventually Lux wriggled free of Baze's arms and made her way back into the lounge room, leaving her parents alone.

Cate smiled up at Baze, her arms still around his shoulders as his hands explored her waist. "How was your day?"

Baze shrugged, leaning down to kiss Cate. "Better now?"

Cate pulled back, talking in between kisses. "How much better?"

Baze answered her by leaning back down, kissing a light trail along her neck. Eventually Cate pulled back, slightly flustered. "Lux." She warned, whispering.

"She's gotta learn sometime." Baze smirked, resuming the action.

Cate pulled away, slapping his chest gently and walking over to the phone, grabbing the takeaway brochures. "Lux, what do you feel like for dinner?"

Lux looked up and shrugged before resuming what she was doing, providing no real response. "Okay then." Cate mumbled, turning to Baze. "What about you?"

Baze smiled, coming beside her and wrapping his arms around her waist, looking over the brochures with her. "You choose."

Cate flipped through the brochures quickly, finally settling on Indian. By the time they had finished eating, Lux struggling to stay awake in Baze's lap, her head next to Cate's sleeping one on his chest. It wasn't really a comfortable position for Baze, but both Lux and Cate looked comfortable and Baze loved the feeling of having both of his girls in his arms.

Baze shifted Cate gently, careful not to wake her as he shuffled himself and Lux off of the couch. He carried Lux into her room, tucking her in as she mumbled, half asleep. "Mommasaidshe'dcalledJones."

Baze smiled slightly, amused. Lux had excitedly told Baze about the play date Cate was going to make with Jones at least three times through dinner. "I'll make sure she does, kiddo. Don't worry." He sat on the edge of Lux's bed, brushing her hair back as she slowly drifted to sleep. "Goodnight baby."

Baze smirked when he spotted Cate fast asleep on the couch, snoring loudly from the position she was in. He decided against waking her, instead flipping through her address book until he came across Jones' number.


	35. Get Up Stand Up

**A/N: I'm so sorry guys! Like I said in I Ain't Gonna Lose You, my parents took away my laptop :( But now that I have it back, I plan to update as much as I can! Sorry you've had to wait so long! But I hope you enjoy and please review :)**

**Chapter 35- Get Up Stand Up**

Cate watched nervously as Lux skipped ahead, Baze walking beside her. Baze had organized a play date with Jones at the park nearby, reluctant to take Lux back to Jones' house. He knew nothing would happen, but being in the same place his daughter had been taken from scared the hell out of him.

"Lux! Stop at the road please." Cate called out and Lux obeyed, looking back at Baze and Cate and signaling for them to hurry.

Cate and Baze laughed, each taking one of Lux's hands before crossing the road. Lux pulled them faster towards the park, spotting Jones on the playground. "Mommy! Look! It's Jones! Can I go play?"

Cate laughed, nodding. "Come say hello to Jones' mom first, okay?"

Lux reluctantly agreed, letting go of her parents hands and running ahead to the bench where Jones' mom was sitting. "Hi!"

"Hi, Lux." Karen laughed at the greeting. "How are you?"

Lux smiled widely as Cate and Baze came over. "I'm good."

"Well I'm glad to hear that." She nodded her head to the playground and smiled. "Jones is playing on the playground. He's excited to see you. Why don't you go play with him."

Lux nodded enthusiastically, turning to Cate. "Can I, Mommy?"

"Sure, babe. Just stay where I can see you, okay?"

Lux nodded and began to run towards the playground but Baze stopped her, scooping her up. "I'm going to get going soon, kiddo."

Lux frowned slightly, worried. "But mommy's gonna stay?"

Baze nodded and smiled, and Lux accepted the answer, instantly squirming in Baze's arms to try and get back down on the ground. Baze laughed and placed Lux back down, watching as she basically sprinted towards the playground where Jones was playing while he walked back over to Cate and Karen.

"I'm going to head off." Baze swooped over close to Cate's face, stopping before kissing her. "Do you need anything?"

Cate shook her head, smiling. "I'll see you at home."

Baze smiled and nodded, kissing her quickly before standing up. "It was nice to see you again, Karen."

"You too." Karen smiled at Baze.

Both women watched as he walked away before turning back to face each other. Karen smirked knowingly at Cate and Cate blushed slightly, looking down. "Baze seems like a great guy."

Cate smiled and nodding, blushing. "He is. He's great."

"But?" It was clear to Karen that Cate was leaving something out.

Cate thought about it for a second, looking up at Karen and shrugging, slightly embarrassed. She hardly knew the woman yet at the same time, there was something about her that made Cate want to talk to her. "It's nothing." She shook her head, laughing slightly at herself.

Karen tilted her head, signaling for Cate to continue. "I don't really know. It's just, I'm twenty years old, you know? Last year I was single and still in college, and now I'm a mom, and my kid has been through hell. I'm struggling to keep my job and I'm in a serious relationship. It's just- I don't know. I guess it's just a lot."

Karen nodded understandably, smiling sadly. "How's she doing? Lux?"

Cate's face crumbled slightly as if she was in pain before she looked over at Lux and smiled sadly. "Some days are better than others. She seems so strong all of the time, and I can't help but think she's holding back for our sake because she knows how much what she went through hurt us. I just- I don't know what to do to help her."

Again Karen nodded, sympathy clear on her face as she reached over and placed a hand on Cate's forearm comfortingly. "Have you thought about having her talk to someone?"

"We tried." Cate sighed. "She has a therapist, but she's still so reluctant to talk. I don't know. I guess it's not a bad thing, but I don't know if how I'm going about helping her, is the best thing for her."

Karen nodded, and they sat in silence for a few minutes, both watching their children play happily. "What about you?" Karen broke the silence. "This has got to be hard on you too. I can't even imagine if it was one of my kids."

"Of course it is." Cate whispered more for herself than Karen. "But Lux is so strong, and she's the one who went through it all so I can't help but feel that if she can be that strong and get on with life, I have no right not to."

Karen frowned at Cate sympathetically and Cate blushed, quickly brushing away a stray tear. "I'm sorry. You hardly know me and I'm just dumping my problems on you."

Karen smiled reassuringly. "Trust me, I'm on the board of mother's at school, it's not the first time."

Cate smiled slightly, relaxing. "So, uh, you have another kid?" She asked, changing the subject.

Karen nodded proudly, smiling. "Carter. He'll be seven in August."

"So are he and Jones close? There's not much of an age gap."

Karen nodded, smiling. "Yeah, you know, they're the best of friends. Carter's very protective, but he lets Jones hang out with him most of the time." She looked at Cate curiously, noticing as Cate smiled to herself at the statement. "What about you? Have you and Baze thought about having anymore kids?"

Cate looked up surprised, shaking her head almost instinctively. "No. I uh- no." She paused. "I mean, I know Baze wants to have another kid and Lux would be an amazing big sister, but..." Cate trailed off, unsure.

Karen smiled knowingly. "But you're not sure?"

"No. Well I mean, maybe one day." Cate paused again, slightly embarrassed. "Yeah, I mean, I guess having another baby wouldn't be the worst thing."

Karen smirked and nodded knowingly. She could read Cate better than Cate could read herself at the moment, and despite her hesitancy, Karen could tell Cate was just reluctant to want things, because she knew from experience that it could all go away in a second.

The mother were torn out of their conversation a shriek from the playground and both turned around just in time to see Lux hit the ground face first before Jones threw himself at another boy slightly older than himself.

Cate and Karen jumped up and ran over to the group; Cate scooping Lux up as Karen tried to pull Jones off of the other kid.

"Mommy." Lux sobbed as she wrapped her arms around Cate's neck, holding her tightly. "Hurts."

Cate nodded and kissed Lux's cheek, rubbing her back soothingly. Part of her couldn't help but be relieved that Lux was crying. It was the first time she had cried from pain since Cate and Baze had gotten her back, and a little bit of Cate was glad. On the other hand, Cate couldn't bear to see Lux upset.

Cate untangled Lux's arms from around her neck and inspected her hand. It was red, but the skin wasn't broken so Cate simply brushed the dirt off and kissed it gently. "I know it does, baby. We're going to make it feel better, okay?"

Lux nodded and laid her head on Cate's shoulder, both watching as Karen picked Jones up off of the other boy and squatted down in front of him, Jones sulking angrily.

"Jones, what are you doing? You know that it's not okay to hit."

Jones turned and pointed at the other kid who's own mother was talking to him. "He pushed Lux and called her stupid!"

"Kevin, is that true?" The other boy, Kevin's, mother was asking him.

Kevin mumbled something and his mother looked angry. "Okay, that's it. We're going home and you're having a time out." She took his arm and pulled him over to Lux and Cate. "Now I want you to say you're sorry."

Kevin turned reluctantly towards Lux though didn't face her. "Sorry." He mumbled.

"Thank you." His mother looked at him crossly, before turning to Cate and smiling both apologetically and embarrassed. "I'm very sorry for my son."

Cate nodded and smiled politely, bouncing Lux and holding her closer. Lux didn't protest, holding tighter around Cate's neck and sniffling into her shoulder. "I don't want to play anymore." She whispered.

"Okay, sweetie. Let's go say goodbye to Jones and Karen first then we'll go home, huh?" Cate nodded, carrying her over to Jones and Karen. "Thank you for standing up for Lux, Jones." Cate smiled, squatting down next to him and balancing Lux on her knee. "You're a very good friend."

Lux turned to Cate and whispered in her ear causing Cate to grin at her cuteness. "Best friend." Lux corrected.

"Thanks for coming to play, Lux." Karen spoke for Jones and Lux smiled slightly, hiding her head in Cate's neck shyly. "Jones had a really fun time."

Cate smiled, turning to Lux and speaking gently. "What do you say?"

"Thank you for playing with me." Lux said shyly.

Cate and Karen watched as Jones and Lux said their goodbyes while they did the same before all for stood up, both kids in their mother's arms.

"Thank you." Cate said honestly referring to the earlier conversation with Karen.

Karen nodded and smiled. "We should catch up for coffee or something when Lux is back at school. It helps to have a friend on the school committee."

Cate smiled gratefully, nodding. "That would be great."

"Great." Karen smiled. "Alright, well give me a call anytime and we'll catch up." She turned to Lux, smiling. "It was nice to see you again, Lux. I hope your knee feels better."

Lux and Jones waved goodbye shyly as they were carried away in opposite directions by their mothers.

By the time they had arrived home, Lux had completely forgotten about her hand and she bounced ahead inside of the house, running into Baze's arms when she saw him cooking in the kitchen. "Daddy!"

"Hey, kiddo." Baze couldn't help but smile whenever he saw Lux, and he picked her up, balancing her on his hip as he stirred a pot on the stove. "Did you have fun at the park?"

"Uh huh!" Lux giggled as Baze held a carrot stick out for her to bite. "We played on the teeter totter and on the swings and on the slippery slide cept not on the big one coz it was too big. But look, daddy." She held up her hand, her expression changing as she remembered she was hurt. "A big kid pushed me and I hurt my hand."

Baze frowned slightly, taking a hold of Lux's hand and looking it over. It wasn't

even red anymore but he held it to his lips and playfully kissed it, causing Lux to giggle. "Mommy said I can have a wiggles Band-Aid then watch Sound of Music!"

"Oh she did, did she?" Baze groaned, raising an eyebrow to Cate who shrugged sheepishly. Lux had watched the Sound of Music every day since Abby had shown it to her a few weeks ago and it was driving Cate and Baze crazy. "Well I'm going to have to talk to mommy about that. Why don't you go play in the other room while I finish making dinner?"

Lux nodded enthusiastically and wiggled to get down before running over to Cate and pulling her into the lounge room. Cate laughed and reluctantly followed, returning minutes later with Edelweiss playing loudly in the background.

"I swear that song is going to kill me." Baze smirked jokingly.

Cate ignored the comment, wrapping her arms around his waist, kissing his back slowly. Baze looked slightly confused at the sudden affection, but smiled and turned, reaching his hands up to push back Cate's hair and hold the side of her face as he kissed her.

After a few moments, Cate pulled back and immediately wrapped her arms around his back and leaning her head on his chest. Baze slowly wrapped his arms back around her, holding her close.

"You okay?" He was genuinely concerned. Cate had only recently begun to let people in, and the over-affection was uncharacteristic.

Cate nodded honestly, smiling into his chest as she watched Lux dance and sing-along to the movie. "I love you." She mumbled after a few minutes, breaking the silence.

Baze smiled, kissing her hair. "I love you too, babe."


	36. Weeks Go By Like Days

**Chapter 36- Weeks Go By Like Days**

Lux crept into Cate's bedroom and tiptoed over to the bed, giggling as she climbed over Baze and wiggled her way in between her parents. Baze groaned as she kneeled him in the stomach which only resulted in Lux giggling louder. Cate simply shuffled over in the bed, wrapped an arm around Lux and snuggled closer to her while she tried to go back to sleep.

Both parents remained silent, both trying to go back to sleep, while Lux lay wide awake in between them, wriggling.

After a few minutes Lux started to giggle, covering her mouth with her hand and grinning sheepishly when Baze groaned.

"Go back to sleep, kiddo." Baze mumbled, rolling over and burying his head in the pillow.

Lux shook her head, dramatically jumping up and bouncing on the bed. "You got to get up!" She giggled. "I gotta go to school!"

Cate yawned and reached up, pulling on Lux's pajama top to get her to lay down again. She wrapped her arms back around Lux and shook her head no, snuggling closer to Baze and squashing Lux in the middle. "We don't have to be up for another hour..."

Lux managed to lay still for a total of two minutes before she started squirming again. Cate and Baze, however, managed to fall straight back asleep.

Lux looked between her parents and sighed dramatically before wriggling out of their arms and crawling over Baze out of the bed. She ran out of the room and returned seconds later, stumbling over to the bed with Daisy in her arms.

Lux giggled as the placed Daisy on the bed between her parents and crawled up behind her, laughing as Daisy licked Baze's face.

Lux jumped up on the bed and proceeding to jump on Baze, laughing as she did. "Get up! Get up! Get up!"

Cate groaned and pulled herself out of bed, stumbling across the room and into the bathroom. Lux stopped jumping and looked down at Baze worriedly, though Baze just smirked and pulled Lux down to him.

"You know, for someone who makes their living by working on_ morning_ radio," He spoke to Lux before raising his voice to make sure Cate could hear. "You're mom is definitely not a morning person!"

Cate came back into the room a few moments later, her tone light as she spoke with faux annoyance. "Yeah, well you wouldn't be too happy either if a certain dog kept you up until 3."

"Mommy." Lux frowned as she hugged Daisy tightly. "Don't get cross at Daisy."

Baze couldn't help but laugh while Cate stifled a smirk. "Yeah mommy, don't get cross at Daisy." He teased.

Cate smirked slightly, bending over the bed and leaning across to kiss Baze and earning a disgusted look from Lux.

Lux scrunched up her face and looked away. "Yuck!"

Cate pulled away from Baze, both grinning widely, and picked Lux up, the three plus Daisy making their way out to the kitchen.

"What do you want for breakfast, Lux?" Cate asked as she raided the cupboards, Lux sitting dutifully at the kitchen table while Baze made coffee.

Lux thought for a second before smiling and rushing into the kitchen. "Waffles!"

Cate nodded, placing two frozen waffles in the toaster. She had gotten pretty good at cooking breakfast. By cooking though, it meant not charcoaling everything she touched.

"Thank you, momma." Lux smiled at her mom and carried her now full plate over to the table, sitting and eating politely.

Cate and Baze got their own breakfast before joining her, both watching as Lux continued to be as polite as she could.

"Can I please leave the table?" Lux looked between her parents for a reply once she had finished.

Baze looked at Cate surprised, only to see the mother of his child looking back at him with the exact same expression. "Of course, baby." Cate was the one to reply, smiling. "You were a very good girl to ask."

Lux shot her parents a proud smile, nodding. "Uh huh. Coz daddy told me it's my birthday soon and if I want to get lots of presents I had to be a good girl."

Cate laughed, looking over at Baze. "He did, did he?"

"Uh huh." Lux confirmed knowingly.

Cate smiled and pulled Lux towards her. "Well, tell me something quickly."

Lux automatically climbed into Cate's lap and looked up expectantly. Cate smiled, brushing back a few pieces of Lux's hair. "What do you want to do for your birthday? Do you want to have a party like Jones did?"

Lux nodded excitedly and was about to reply before Cate mentioned Jones' party. Instead, her expression changed and she shifted closer to Cate, avoiding eye contact as she shook her head. "Not like Jones'." She whispered.

Both parents instantly knew what she was talking about and exchanged a glance, Baze finally speaking up. "A better one, huh kiddo? With presents, and clowns and cake."

Lux giggled, nodding enthusiastically. "Uh huh!"

Cate laughed, kissing Lux's head quickly. "Well go get dressed okay? You don't want to be late for your first day back at school."

Lux wiggled off of Cate's lap and ran into her room. Cate shifted over to shift on Baze's lap; Baze wrapping his arms around her waist loosely.

"I hate clowns." Cate mumbled.

Baze laughed, earning a light smack from Cate. Cate pouted, and Baze smirked, leaning forward and kissing her quickly before pushing Cate up. "Go get ready. I'll make sure Lux is set."

By the time they arrived at the school, Lux was even more excited. "...And maybe we can play in the sandbox and on the swings and the slide at lunch time."

"Well you'll have to ask Jones if he'll play with you." Cate smiled down at Lux, the three walking hand in hand towards the school with Lux in the middle.

"Hi, Lux." Miss Kelly smiled widely when they arrived at the classroom. "We've missed you."

Lux smiled nervously, suddenly shy as she hid behind Baze's leg. Both Cate and Baze squatted down so that they were level with her, smiling at her reassuringly.

"You excited about seeing your friends again, Lux?" Baze nodded his head to the classroom, trying to get Lux enthused.

Lux nodded slowly, leaning against Baze and wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "Cept are you and mommy gonna stay too?"

Cate brushed a piece of Lux's hair behind her ear, smiling reassuringly. "Daddy and I have to go but you're going to have a great time. Don't you remember how much fun school is?"

"Okay." Lux nodded as she thought. "But you're gonna pick me up when it's home time?"

"We'll be right out front waiting, okay?" Cate gently stroked her hand down Lux's arm, finding herself growing nervous about leaving her.

"Okay." Lux nodded, wrapping her arms around Cate's shoulders when Cate pulled her towards herself.

Cate held on slightly longer than normal, placing a kiss to Lux's cheek before pulling away. Lux scrunched up her face and wiped at her cheek, disgusted and causing both Cate and Baze to laugh.

"We'll see you later, okay kiddo?" Baze smiled as he kissed the top of Lux's head, both he and Cate standing up and watching as Lux ran into the classroom excitedly, forgetting her worries.

Baze smiled as Cate stood outside the door, reluctant to leave. He swung an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, leading her out to the car. "So what do you say to a little birthday shopping?"

Cate smiled in agreement, climbing into the passenger's seat and letting Baze drive.

Cate hated pick-up time. No matter what she did or how she dressed, the judgmental glances and whispers from other mothers didn't go unnoticed.

Today, however, Baze must have noticed her discomfort so he smiled, wrapping his arms around Cate's waist and whispering in her ear. "They're just jealous."

"Of what?" Cate giggled and leant back against his chest, watching as kids began to run out of the school towards their parents.

Baze smirked, kissing her cheek. "Me."

Cate faked hurt, slapping him gently on the chest before she turned around at Lux's voice, barely able to catch the four year old as she barreled into her arms. "Mommy!"

"Hi, sweet girl." Cate smiled, holding Lux close as she balanced her on her hip. "How was your day?"

Lux began to ramble excitedly about everything she had done during the day, earning proud smiles from both parents as they headed to the car.


	37. The Calculation

**Chapter 37- The Calculation**

The following weekend, and simultaneously Lux's birthday, had arrived sooner than Cate would have liked.

Cate grabbed the shopping bags out of her car and headed inside. It was close to 7pm and Cate had spent the entire Friday swapping between shopping and freaking out. She wanted everything to be perfect for tomorrow. She _needed_ everything to be perfect. Not only for herself, but to make up for the last four birthdays she'd missed for Lux too.

"Mommy!" Lux's voice screeched as she came racing towards Cate, basically knocking her mother over as she came through the front door.

Cate barely had time to process Lux as her daughter ran into the kitchen and grabbed a gummy snake out of a bag on the table before racing into the lounge room and rushing around with Daisy.

Cate headed to the kitchen after observing a hyper-active Lux for a few moments. Baze was sitting at the kitchen table, completely focused on the task in front of him. Dozens of open bags of candy lay in front of him, half-finished party bags surrounding him.

"Hi." Cate smiled, wrapping her arms around Baze's shoulders from behind and resting her head on Baze's. "How much sugar has she had?"

Baze pulled Cate around to the front of him, wrapping his arms around her waist as she sat on his lap, both of them watching as Lux stirred Daisy up. "Not as much as she wanted."

"Are these the party bags?" Cate asked, both amused and proud. Baze groaned annoyed and nodded, resting his head on Cate's shoulder tiredly causing Cate to laugh gently. "They're great, babe."

Baze smiled and Cate kissed him quickly before standing up and unpacking the shopping. "Has she eaten?" Baze was about to respond but Cate rolled her eyes and clarified. "Anything that doesn't consist of sugar?"

Baze smirked and nodded slightly. "There's pizza, but I doubt she ate much."

"Lux!" Cate called out as Lux came barreling into the room and over to Cate. "Did you have dinner?"

Lux shook her head sheepishly under Cate's gaze. "Daddy said I didn't have to coz it's my birthday tomorrow!"

"Lux." Baze's voice was stern, yet still kind. "I never said that."

Cate raised an eyebrow to Lux who simply shrunk more under her gaze. "How much candy have you had tonight?"

Lux began to count on her fingers but got stuck at five, earning an amused smirk from Baze. "Daddy said I could!" Lux pouted.

Cate frowned. She and Baze really had to work on setting boundaries. "Alright. Well no more tonight, okay? You're going to make yourself sick."

"Nu uh." Lux shook her head and ran over to the table, grabbing a handful of gummy snakes and shoving them in her mouth to prove her point.

Both Cate and Baze looked shocked at her behavior and Cate knelt down in front of her, holding her arms to keep her from running as she spoke sternly. "Do you want us to cancel your birthday party tomorrow? Because that's what we'll do if your naughty again. There'll be no presents, no cake, no friends over, and you can just sit in your room all day. Is that what you want?"

Lux pouted, her lip quivering. "No."

"I want you to go and calm down on the couch. I'm going to make you some salad and I want you to eat it all, do you understand?"

Lux pulled her arms away and crossed them over her chest, doing what her mom said nonetheless.

Baze groaned as someone poked his arm, turning in bed.

"Daddy." Lux whispered, shaking Baze gently. "Daddy."

Baze stirred slightly, turning his head to face Lux. "Lux?"

"Daddy, I feel good." Baze squinted, sitting up concerned when he noticed Lux was crying.

"What's wrong sweetie?" He whispered, brushing back Lux's hair from her face.

"My tummy's yucky." Lux grabbed Baze's hand and gently pulled him, her lip quivering. "I have to show you something."

Baze pulled himself out of bed and trudged down the hall behind Lux, trying to get himself to wake up properly. The second he arrived at Lux's room, he was hit with the overwhelming, nauseating smell of vomit and urine.

Baze placed a hand on Lux's head affectionately, forcing a reassuring smile. "Alright." He sighed. "I'll take care of this and mommy can help you get cleaned up, okay?"

"No!" Lux whispered loudly, tugging on Baze's arm pleadingly. "Momma'll be mad."

Baze squatted down in front of Lux, looking at her concerned. "Why will mommy be mad?" He didn't get it. They were used to Lux wetting the bed when she had nightmares, but she almost always went to Cate when she felt sick.

"Coz I got sick." Lux cried, avoiding Baze's glance.

Baze frowned; he hated seeing his daughter upset. "Lux, mommy could never be mad at you for being sick."

"Uh huh." Lux nodded, her lip shaking. "Coz I ate too much candy and she said if I ate too much then I'd get sick."

Baze smirked involuntarily, hiding it a second later behind a reassuring smile. "Well you'll know better for next time then, won't you? But mommy won't care about that now, okay?" Lux still looked hesitant. "I promise. And if she is then I'll make her go back to bed and I can help you, okay?"

Lux nodded and took Baze's offered hand, slowly walking down the hall. She hid behind Baze as Baze squatted down beside the bed, shaking Cate's shoulder gently.

Cate rolled over and blinked a few times, smiling tiredly. "What's going on?" Her voice was thick with sleep.

"Lux threw up." Cate frowned concerned, instantly getting out of bed and squatting down to Lux's level.

"What's wrong, baby?" Cate brushed a gentle kiss to Lux's forehead, looking her over.

Lux began to cry so Cate scooped her up, glancing concerned at Baze as she carried her to the bathroom, Baze heading to clean up Lux's room.

Cate helped Lux out of her clothes and into the shower to quickly wash up before getting her dressed again. "How come you didn't come to me when you were sick, sweetie?" Cate couldn't help but ask; she couldn't help but be a little jealous.

Lux's lip quivered as she tiredly leant against Cate, allowing her mom to pick her up and carry her back into her room. "Coz you would've gotten mad." She slurred, drowsing off.

Cate pressed a kiss to Lux's forehead, concerned. "I would never be mad at you for not feeling well. Why would you think that?"

"Coz you said if I ate too much I'd get sick."

Cate frowned, not sure whether to relieved or angry at herself. She went to place Lux down in the freshly remade bed, but the blonde gripped tightly to her.

Cate sighed, giving in and following Baze back to their own room, both parents climbing back into bed with Lux sandwiched in the middle.

Baze smiled, noticing the time. "Hey, Lux?"

Lux shifted but barely stirred.

Baze bent over and placed a kiss to her forehead, smiling. "Happy birthday, baby."

**A/N: So next chapter shall be Lux's actual birthday/party-day! And I shall hopefully have updates up tomorrow (fingers crossed!)**


	38. Happy Birthday Baby

**Chapter 38- Happy Birthday Baby**

Cate raced around the house excitedly, playing with a few of the toys Cate and Baze had given her, her new tutu around her waist and Tootsie pop in her mouth.

"Lux, please stop running or I will take that away!" Cate yelled a little louder than she intended to, potential dangers racing through her mind.

Lux giggled and ran into the kitchen where Baze was preparing some of the party food, literally running into his legs.

"Woah." Baze swooped her up in one swift motion, balancing her on one side. "What did mommy say about you running with food in your mouth?"

Lux pulled the candy out and grinned sheepishly. "Not to do it."

"Right." Baze couldn't hide his smirk although his tone remained stern. He placed Lux on the bench and placed his hands on either side of her. Lux leaned forward so that their noses were touching, which of course kept Baze from getting mad. "Now are you going to listen?"

Lux nodded, putting the half eaten candy on the counter next to herself before placing sticky hands on each side of Baze's face, giggling when he squirmed jokingly.

"Where's my favorite birthday girl?"

Lux's face lit up as the front door opened and Ryan's voice traveled through the house. Baze laughed, picking Lux up off of the counter and placing her on the floor, watching as she sprinted out of the room. "Uncle Ryan!"

Ryan laughed as Lux threw herself into his arms, picking her up with one arm while he hid the other behind his back. "Happy birthday, Lux."

"I'm five!" Lux grinned excitedly as Ryan carried her into the kitchen and greeted Cate and Baze.

"You are?" Ryan laughed as Lux nodded enthusiastically, pulling out a present from behind his back. "Well you know big five year old girls get big five year old girl presents." He handed Lux the brightly wrapped present before putting her down on the floor.

Lux instantly ran off into the lounge room with the present and proceeded to rip the wrapping off. "Lux, what do you say?" Cate called after her, although she couldn't hide her smile as Lux's face lit up at the present.

"Thank you!" Lux sprinted back to Ryan and wrapped her arms around his legs quickly before rushing out of the room again leaving the three adults laughing.

"Hey man, you want a beer?" Baze reached over and handed Ryan a beer, both leaning back against the counter as Cate continued to rush around the house, tidying.

She had been doing that all morning; she wanted everything to be perfect. The house was spotless, the back yard was set up, Cate had spent the last few weeks organizing everything from a moon bounce to pony rides, and Lux's friends and their parents were set to arrive in a couple of hours, while their families were coming by earlier.

"Daddy!" Lux laughed loudly as she bolted back into the kitchen, Daisy barking and chasing her. "Uncle Ryan! Save me!"

Ryan laughed and picked her up, watching as Lux looked down at Daisy and giggled when she noticed the dog couldn't reach her.

She remained in Ryan's arms as she turned to Baze. "Can I have a snake?"

"Sorry, kiddo. Mommy said no more sugar until your party." Baze smirked, shaking his head.

Lux sighed and pouted dramatically. "It's never gonna come."

Both Baze and Ryan laughed and were about to respond when the doorbell rang and Lux's face lit up once again as she squirmed to get down. "I'll get it!"

"Lux, what did we say about answering the door?" Cate followed her from the lounge room, surprised when she saw a delivery man.

"I've got a package for Lux Cassidy." The man handed Cate the package before she signed for it. "Have a nice day."

Cate handed Lux the package and watched as she opened the box, her face lighting up when she saw a brightly wrapped birthday present. She handed Cate the card to read while ripping the wrapping paper off and squealing excitedly when she saw a Disney sleeping beauty dress. "Can I put it on, Mommy?"

Lux jumped up and down excitedly with the dress in her hands as Cate opened the card. "In a minute, babe. Let's see who it's from first, okay?"

Lux pouted but waited nonetheless, not noticing as Cate paled, her hands shaking. "Lux." Cate's voice shook as she spoke. "Lux, give me the dress."

"No." Lux shook her head protectively, frowning angrily. "It's mine."

"I'll buy you a new one, Lux, just give me the dress!" Cate grabbed the dress from Lux's hands, realizing what she had just done as Lux's expression changed from shocked to crying.

Baze and Ryan came in a few seconds later, confused when they saw the scene. Lux had her head buried in a pillow on the couch while Cate was still standing with the dress and card in her hand, one hand running through her hair stressed as she struggled to keep herself in check.

"Lux..." Baze automatically went to comfort his daughter, sitting on the couch next to her and rubbing her back comfortingly before Lux threw herself into his arms and gripped tightly.

Noticing Cate, he quickly handed her off to Ryan, glad when Lux latched on to the other male tightly. "Go with Uncle Ryan for a minute, babe."

"You know what Lux? I think I know where to find the snakes your mom hid." Lux's face lit up a little and she smiled as Ryan wiped away her tears and carried her into the kitchen.

Baze approached Cate cautiously, both unsure and concerned at what had caused her uncharacteristic outburst. "Cate?"

Cate leaned into Baze as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, awkwardly rubbing her back as if to comfort her, but not sure what he was comforting her for.

Cate knew what he was asking and pulled back after a few seconds, handing Baze the card and dress before crossing her arms across her chest vulnerably.

_Happy birthday, Princess. Every special princess needs a special dress. We'll be together again soon, I promise._

Baze had to keep himself from either physically being sick or hitting something as he read the card. He instantly knew who it was; Cate obviously did too.

When Cate reached out and gripped his top, Baze tore himself from his own thoughts and wrapped his arms back around her, holding her as she began to cry silently. "Hey, it's okay... shh... it's going to be okay..."

It didn't make any sense why, whenever everything was perfect, bad things had to happen. Baze pulled back once the doorbell rang and gently held Cate's face in his hands, forcing her to meet his eyes. "He's not going to get her again. Let's just concentrate on Lux today, okay? It's her day. I'll take care of this tonight."

Cate nodded and forced a small smile, closing her eyes as Baze gently kissed her forehead. Cate quickly swiped away her tears and they both pasted on a smile as the door opened and Abby and Laverne walked in, quickly followed by Math and Jamie.

Cate realized half way through that she may have overdone the party just a little. Basically every kid in kindergarten was there as well as a growing party of parents, although Lux wasn't really interested in playing with anyone other than Jones. Ryan, Laverne, Abby, Ellen, John, Jamie and Math were obviously there, as well as Alice, her husband Steven, and her step kids, William and Stephanie, and Fern. Even Trina had made an appearance, although that was more for Ryan than Lux since the two had "subtly" started a relationship a few months ago.

Cate had organized a clown and a magician, along with a moon bounce, pony rides and face painting, and there was enough food to feed a small country.

Cate smiled widely as Baze carried out the candle lit birthday cake, her hands on Lux's shoulders as the blonde giggled.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Lux! Happy birthday to you!"

Lux looked up at Cate for a cue of what to do next as everyone watched her expectantly. "Make a wish, baby." Cate whispered into Lux's ear from behind before placing a kiss to Lux's cheek and holding back her hair.

Lux did what her mom said, blowing out the candles and smiling proudly when everyone clapped. Baze took Cate's spot behind her and gently held Lux's hand over a knife, helping her cut directly down the middle.

"Did you make a wish?" Baze asked smiling, watching as Lux stuck her finger quickly into the frosting.

Lux nodded enthusiastically, pulling Baze down to whisper in his ear. "Cept if I tell you then it won't come true."

Baze faked surprise, whispering back. "It doesn't?" Lux shook her head seriously. "But how will your wish come true if no one knows what it is?"

Lux shrugged and held up her arms questioning. "I don't know. Mommy just said."

Baze laughed and nodded, kissing the top of Lux's head before he began to cut up the cake.

By the time everyone minus Ellen and John, Ryan and Trina, Alice and Abby had left, Lux was exhausted and half asleep in John's arms. She had become closer to her gramps than anyone else besides her parents, especially since everything with Kevin, and John had a soft spot for his granddaughter.

Lux had completely forgotten about the delivered present and her fight with Cate, although that could be from the overwhelming amount of other presents she had received.

Cate and Baze had ended up getting her dozens of new toys and books she had asked for, clothes Cate thought would look cute on her, drawing and painting supplies along with a joint present with Ellen and John in the form of her first bike. Baze had been the one to choose the charm, going a little overboard when he settled on a daisy with a diamond in the middle. It was expensive, but it was perfect and he didn't care. Laverne and Abby had mostly gotten her clothes as had Alice, whilst the others mainly focused on toys and books. Lux's favorite present which wasn't from her parents was surprisingly from Trina. She had given Lux blank wooden letters which spelt her name, along with painting supplies and decorations so that she could decorate them and hang them on her door.

"I should probably get going." Alice spoke for herself and her family, standing up from the chair she was sitting in around the outside table. "I told Steven I would be home by dinner."

"Yeah, we should probably go too." Ryan stood up and placed an arm around Trina's shoulders, everyone still surprised at the sight.

Cate showed them out after they had said goodbye, before heading into the kitchen to begin tidying up. John, Baze and Lux moved in to the lounge room and relaxed on the couch while Abby and Ellen joined Cate in the kitchen, despite her protests.

"Nate mentioned something about a present arriving for Lux earlier today?" Ellen hadn't heard much as Baze had discussed it with Fern, but she had heard enough to know Baze had been upset.

Cate nodded slowly, focusing her attention on Lux in the other room. "He's off on bail until the trial." She said simply, although she didn't need to say anything else. Both Ellen and Abby knew what she meant.

Cate brushed aside her thoughts and pasted on a smile, walking into the lounge room and gently lifting Lux from John's lap. "I think it's time the birthday girl got ready for bed."

Lux mumbled in protest but rested her head on Cate's shoulder nonetheless. "Say goodnight to grandpa."

Cate held Lux down so John could kiss her forehead and whisper goodnight, Lux mumbling back in response. She didn't bother making Lux say goodnight to Baze just yet; she figured they would tuck her in together once the others had left.

"Oh, you don't have to do that." Cate felt guilty as she headed back to the kitchen with Lux in her arms and saw Ellen and Abby drying the dishes.

Ellen smiled kindly. "Don't be silly, dear."

"Yeah, just accept the help. It's not every day I offer to do your dishes." Abby smirked, sticking her tongue out at Cate jokingly who returned the gesture.

Cate didn't bother arguing; if there was anything she had learnt about Baze's mother since she had met her, it was that she didn't give in easily. "Well, I think it's about time we got the birthday girl to bed."

Ellen smiled lovingly at Lux as the young blonde struggled to keep her eyes open. "She's had a big day. She'll probably sleep through the night."

Cate smiled, kissing the top Lux's head gently. "One can only hope."

"Goodnight, sweetheart." Ellen gently kissed Lux's cheek before going back to the dishes.

"Night, Lux." Abby did the same. "I hope you liked your present."

Cate smiled before carrying Lux to her room. "I'll be out in a minute."

Cate carried Lux to her room and quickly got her changed before taking her to the bathroom and helping her brush her teeth. By the time Lux was settled in bed, Baze had joined them.

Both Cate and Baze sat on the side of Lux's bed simply watching her for a few minutes, Cate stroking back Lux's hair gently. Eventually she leant over and kissed Lux's forehead, whispering. "Happy birthday, sweet girl."

Baze smiled as he watched her before following suit; Lux quickly drifting to sleep the second he had.


	39. You And Me And Bottle Makes Three

**A/N: Once again, apologizes for the MAJOR delay in updating! I feel terrible :( This chapter's kind of random, but Baze and Cate's "activities" are certainly going to have an effect in the little family of three (+?)... ;)**

**Chapter 40- You And Me And Bottle Makes Three**

Lux and Baze walked hand in hand as they crossed the road to the park, a loaf of bread carefully gripped in Lux's free arm while Baze held Daisy's lead and let the dog lead the way.

"And then, Pippi jumps in the water with all her clothes on!" Lux giggled as she remembered. She had spent the last half an hour explaining to Baze in great detail The Adventures of Pippi Longstocking, much to Baze's amusement.

"She does?" He faked surprised, indulging her as Lux giggled and nodded furiously. "But doesn't she get cold?"

Lux shook her head seriously. "Nuh uh! Coz Pippi spins really fast and she gets dry!" Lux broke away from Baze, stopping in her path and spinning around in a circle with her arms out. "Like this!"

Baze laughed, stopping Lux's spinning by scooping her up and carrying her under his arm. Lux laughed furiously, wriggling until Baze finally let her down on the grass and took a seat on the bench.

Lux grabbed his hand and tried to pull him, pointing towards the pond. "Daddy, the ducks!"

Baze smiled, nodding. "You can go feed them and I'll sit here and watch you, okay?" The bench was only a few feet away from the pond. "But stay away from the water, okay? You've got to throw the bread as far as you can for the ducks to get it."

Lux nodded, sighing dramatically. "I know. Mommy already said."

Baze laughed, nodding. "Okay. Sorry." He joked, pulling Lux gently. "I just don't want you to fall in!"

Lux laughed hysterically as he tickled her, trying to pull away. After a few minutes he released her and Lux turned to race over to the water, only to stop a few feet away and turn back.

"Daisy!" She yelled, patting her legs like she'd seen Cate and Baze do. "Come on! We're gonna feed the ducks!"

Baze held Daisy lead to stop her from running. "Daisy's going to stay here with me, okay Lux? She might scare the ducks away."

Lux looked disappointed for a second but forgot about it a second later, running closer to the pond before throwing pieces of bread into the water excitedly.

Despite her usual attention span, Lux was still feeding the ducks when Cate arrived, slowly walking over to join them

"Mommy!" Lux squealed happily, dropping the bag of bread and racing over to Cate.

"Hi, baby." Cate smiled, bending over to kiss the top of Lux's head. Lux giggled before running off to the pond again as Cate sat down next to Baze, leaning into him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Hello to you to."

Baze smiled, kissing her quickly before they settled back on the bench and watched Lux and Daisy. "How'd it go?" He asked gently after a few minutes.

Cate sighed, instinctively burying herself further into Baze's side. "He broke bail. There's an order out for his arrest. "

"So he's going back to prison?" Cate nodded, smiling slightly as Baze rubbed her arm lovingly. "You know my mom called and asked if they could take Lux tonight. They have some old friends coming over and they want them to meet their granddaughter. What do you say to dinner, just you and me?"

Cate smiled, laying her head on his chest. "I'd love to. Have you asked Lux?"

Before he could answer, Lux turned to look at them, pouting as she called out. "You're not watching!"

Cate laughed, gently patting Baze's leg as she stood up and walked over to Lux. She squatted down beside the blonde, tearing off some of the bread and throwing it in to the water. "Grandma asked if you could go over to their house tonight. Do you want to have a sleep over with Grandma and Grandpa?"

Lux thought for a moment, holding on to Cate's shoulder as she leaned against her. "Are you coming too?"

"We won't stay the whole night but we'll take you there." Cate tried to bargain. She knew if she twisted it right, Lux would eventually give in. "Grandma and Grandpa really want you to come, and I'm sure if you asked Grandpa, he'd read you a story before bed."

Lux looked hesitant, shaking her head slightly. "It'll be really fun." Cate smiled, brushing back Lux's hair from her face.

"Can Daisy come?"

Cate laughed, nodding. "I'm sure Grandma and Grandpa won't mind."

Lux still looked hesitant, but she was becoming better at reading her parents and knew her mom wanted her to go. "Okay."

Cate smiled, rubbing her nose against Lux's in an Eskimo kiss. "You're going to have lots of fun."

Cate and Baze spent the day getting Lux excited about having a sleep over at her grandparents house, helping her pack her clothes and her favorite toys to take. Everything seemed to be fine and Lux appeared to be happy until it was time for Cate and Baze to leave, leaving Lux alone with Ellen and Jack.

"Lux?" Cate called Lux over, squatting down in front of her. "Daddy and I are going to leave now but we'll be back first thing in the morning to pick you up, okay?"

Lux didn't say anything, instead choosing to grip tightly to Cate as her mom hugged her. Cate pulled away after a few moments, both confused and concerned when she noticed Lux was crying.

"Hey..." Cate gently brushed away Lux's tears, smiling reassuringly. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

Lux sniffled, leaning back in to Cate's embrace. "I don't want you to go." She whispered.

Cate smiled slightly, running a hand through Lux's hair. "You know that if you want to come home, you can call me or dad and we'll come pick you up, but I really think you're going to have a lot of fun with grandma and gramps."

Lux thought for a moment; she didn't want her parents to go, but her grandparents were really fun. "Cept you have to pick me up coz my schools bag's at home." Lux whispered seriously.

Cate smirked but nodded, pretending to be serious. "Okay."

Lux seemed content with the answer, allowing Cate to stand as Baze scooped her up, Lux giggling loudly. "Put me down!"

Baze smothered her stomach in raspberries, earning excited squeals from Lux. Cate hit him gently, smiling as she watched them but still concerned about Lux being too much for Ellen and Jack. "Don't stir her up." She whispered.

Baze faux glared back at her but stopped nonetheless, spinning Lux around so he could see her face as he carried her.

"Are you going to be good for Grandma and Grandpa?" Lux placed her hands on either side of Baze's face, squeezing as she made his head nod. "And you're not going to miss and mommy?" Lux giggled, forgetting her fears from a few moments ago and shaking Baze's head side to side. "Can you give me a kiss?" Lux giggled, pecking Baze's lips quickly before rubbing their noses together.

Baze laughed, placing Lux back on the ground. It was clear to anyone who watched them that Baze was completely smitten with the little girl; Lux definitely had her dad wrapped around her finger.

"Okay, we'll be back tomorrow morning, and we'll call before Lux goes to bed. And if she needs anything, you can call us, or I wrote down the number for the restaurant. Her penguin is in her bag, and she likes if you read her a story before bed. Oh, and we usually let Daisy sleep at the foot of her bed-"

"Cate." Baze interrupted her, smirking.

Cate blushed slightly, looking up to face Ellen and Jack who seemed just as amused as their son. "I think we've got everything under control, dear. You two just go have a good time."

Lux pulled Jack's arms around her shoulders, standing on his feet. Cate looked down at her, smiling before leaning over to kiss the top of her head. "We love you, baby. We'll see you in the morning. Remember to take good care of Daisy, okay?"

Lux didn't seem fazed anymore and was more taken with "walking" on Jack's feet than she was watching her parents leave.

Cate and Baze headed home after dropping Lux off. The reservation at the restaurant was for 9, but a child-free home for the night plus a bottle of wine meant they didn't make it.

Baze nuzzled at Cate's neck as they laid naked on the couch, a throw blanket the only thing covering them.

"You know I could get used to Lux having sleepovers." Baze smirked.

"We can do this when Lux is here." Cate smirked too, lulling her head back to gently kiss Baze's jaw line. "We just risk being caught."

Baze breathed in a deep breath, smirking. "The most fun I've ever had was when I was in trouble."

Cate laughed, and Baze went back to occupying himself with her bare skin, kissing a line along her shoulder gently. Cate leant into the touch for a few moments before turning her body to face Baze, her own lips making their way across his chest.


	40. All That's Known

**A/N: ER fans (which you all should be seeing as Shiri guest stared for like 10 episodes!), some of the dialogue is taken from a season 11 (?) discussion between Luka and Sam. Just thought I'd credit it :)**

**Oh, and this chapter is mainly Cate and Baze. The next few chapters, however, will be heavy Lux, and Lux/Cate/Baze.**

**Chapter 40- All That's Known**

It was four weeks before Cate could no longer deny the inevitable. Everything had been so perfect, but in the space of two days, Cate found herself buying a pregnancy test and being informed that her daughter needed to make a formal statement to the police regarding her abuse. Naturally, Cate pushed both to the back of her mind and did everything she could to ignore them.

"Don't forget, I told Karen we'd take Jones for the night. She and John have to go to Seattle for work."

Baze nodded, rolling his eyes as he brushed his teeth. Cate had reminded him at least three times that morning, twice alone since she'd been in the shower.

The water stopped and Cate held her hand out from behind the shower door. "Can you hand me a towel?"

Baze left his toothbrush in his mouth, reaching over to grab a towel off of the pile. Something dropped out from between it and Baze handed the towel to Cate before bending down and picking it up, speechless when he saw what it was.

A second later, Cate went to climb out of the shower so Baze shoved the pregnancy test box back in between the other towels, pasting on a smile, washing his mouth out and leaving the bathroom. "I'm going to make sure Lux is up."

Cate nodded, clueless to his find as she went about getting ready. As per usual, Cate and Baze dropped Lux at school together before heading to work. Today, however, the ride was tense although both had different reasons for the silence.

"You feeling okay today?"

Simply put, Cate was a terrible liar, but Baze seemed to by it. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

Baze shrugged casually, keeping his attention on the road. "You were just in the bathroom for a long time this morning."

"No longer than usual."

Baze nodded slowly, both avoiding eye contact as a tense silence filled the car.

"So was it positive or negative?"

Cate cringed as the words came out of his mouth, looking out the passenger's seat window. "I haven't taken it yet." She finally sighed.

Baze nodded, thinking before he responded. "Were you going to tell me?"

Cate looked over at Baze, not sure what to say. Obviously yes, she would have told him had the test been positive. But if it had been negative, she really didn't see a point in stirring up unnecessary drama. Baze clearly felt differently.

"I didn't exactly expect you to go snooping through my stuff and find it in the first place." She started, characteristically defensive.

"I lied." Cate shrugged, angry. "I took it. It was positive."

Cate walked away without a word, Baze too shocked to react. By the time Baze came by the station to pick Cate up that afternoon, he had left thirteen messages with Alice and had made a total of forty-one missed calls. It didn't take a genius to figure out Cate was avoiding him.

"Are we going to talk about this?"

Cate didn't look at him, instead choosing to look out the window as Baze drove to Lux's school. "What's there to talk about? I'm pregnant." Cate's tone held a small amount of bitterness, but was mainly just fear.

"Well how about how far along are you? How do we tell Lux?" Baze was clearly scared as well, yet his tone was almost angry. "Oh, how about this one; is it mine?"

That got Cate's attention and she turned to face him, defensive, angry and a small bit of disgusted all at the same time. "Of course it's yours. Believe it or not but I'm not you. I don't just sleep with anyone I want to because I can."

"Cate-" Baze started, not sure how to respond to that outburst. He knew she was scared and didn't mean what she said, but it was still frustrating to hear. "This isn't like the first time. You're not that girl again, and I'm not that guy. We can do this."

"Are you sure about that?" Cate mumbled to herself. "Because it sure as hell doesn't feel like it.

Baze sighed, having heard her mumble. "Well shouldn't we at least cancel tonight?" He suggested. "I'll get my mom to look after Lux. We can talk."

Cate shook her head as they pulled up outside of the school. "No." She sighed, stressed. "I promised Karen."

Baze knew there was also the reason of Cate not wanting to talk just yet, but he let it slide, both parents pasting on smiles as they spotted Lux and Jones exiting the school.

Cate and Baze managed to successfully keep up a facade for Lux and Jones for the evening; it only disappearing when the adults were left alone to get ready for bed themselves.

"We're going to keep it, right?" It was the one question Baze desperately had to know.

Cate, however, sighed. "I'm really tired, Baze. Can we talk about this some other time?"

Baze watched as she brushed her teeth, slightly frustrated. "Some other time when, Cate? Because you've avoided it all day."

"Did you ever think maybe there's a reason for that?" Cate whispered loudly, moving to face Baze but careful to keep from waking Lux and Jones. "Did you ever think maybe I don't _want_ to talk about it? Maybe that I don't want to have another baby at twenty years old? Maybe that this is scaring the hell out of me and yet you seem strangely calm."

Baze sighed, placing his hands gently on her arms, not sure what to say. "Cate..."

Cate pulled away, turning back around. "Look, can we just go to bed? We'll talk about this in the morning."

Cate didn't wait for an answer, making her way past Baze and into their bedroom. Baze followed after a few moments, turning off the lights and climbing into bed beside her. It was awkward for a few moments before Cate turned to face Baze, curling into his body as he wrapped an arm around her comfortingly, kissing her head as he sighed.

"Mommy?" Lux mumbled, rubbing her eyes tiredly as she tugged on Cate's arm.

Cate stirred and pasted on a tired smile, turning to face Lux and gently brushing some of the hair from her face as she whispered. "What's up, baby?"

"Bed's wet." Lux mumbled and Cate groaned to herself as she slowly climbed out of bed, taking Lux's hand and leading her down the hall.

Baze woke up at the commotion, following tiredly with his hands on Lux's shoulders. "What's up, kiddo?"

"Lux wet her bed." Cate answered for her, noticing Lux was struggling to simply stay awake.

"Not me." Lux mumbled and both her parents strained to hear her. "Jones did."

Cate and Baze exchanged a glance before Cate picked Lux up, nodding for Baze to go to Jones and that she'd be in shortly. "Let's go sleep in mommy and daddy's bed while we get it cleaned up, okay? Where's Jones?"

Lux laid her head on Cate's shoulder, her eyes drooping adorably. "Still there."

Baze nodded for Cate to take Lux back to bed before heading to Lux's room, entering the room slowly. He immediately spotted the scared little boy in the corner of Lux's bed, trying to keep quiet as he cried.

"Hey, bud." Baze smiled, approaching Jones carefully before taking a seat on a non-wet part of the bed. "Lux said there was a little accident."

Jones was clearly both scared and not sure of what to do, nodding hesitantly as he sniffled.

"And you know what, little dude? That's okay. It's actually better than okay. You're too young to know this but girls dig guys who aren't afraid to show a little vulnerability."

Jones looked slightly confused and Baze couldn't help but smile, holding up his hand to the little boy. "Why don't you go with Cate to get cleaned up and I'll take care of this, okay?"

Jones nodded, sniffling and hesitantly hi-fiving Baze's hand. Baze smiled, ruffling Jones haired affectionately as Jones slowly crawled off the bed and nervously made his way over to Cate who was beckoning him from the door. "Come on, honey."

By the time Jones had showered and changed quickly and Baze had taken care of the bedding, Lux had woken up and wanted to join in, both kids wide awake and stirring each other up despite Cate and Baze's efforts to stop them.

"Alright, guys, back to bed. It's very late." Cate gently pushed Jones and Lux in the direction of Lux's bedroom, watching as Baze took over and scooped them both up, the kids giggling hysterically as Baze gently dropped them on Lux's bed.

Lux and Jones giggled as Baze threw the sheet over them, covering their faces. Cate watched from the doorway as Baze tucked the blanket around them before sitting in the middle and reading a book Lux and Jones had chosen together.

Both Jones and Lux were fast asleep by the third page and Baze smiled, placing the book aside and gently tucking them in before kissing Lux's forehead.

He turned around to see Cate standing their watching him, a smile on her face yet tears in her eyes.

"What are you crying about, beautiful?" Baze joked lightly, gently wiping away her tears with his thumbs.

Cate instantly felt like it was the realest decision she could come to, nodding as she placed her hands on Baze's arms, nervous. "I want to keep it. I want to have this baby with you."

Baze was stunned for a second but quickly recovered, kissing her passionately as he lifted her up, carrying her quickly back into the bedroom and closing the door behind them.


	41. Stand In The Rain

**Chapter 41- Stand In The Rain**

Cate and Baze meant to tell Lux straight away. They honestly did. But by the time Cate was five months along, their daughter seemed to be the only one who didn't know. Abby had guessed it when Cate was only a few weeks along, and naturally let it slip to Laverne. Laverne, of course, had gushed dramatically that she was _finally_ going to be a grandmother, oblivious to the comments Cate and Baze made regarding Lux. Cate and Baze decided to tell Jack and Ellen before they found out from somewhere else; they were shocked at first. Naturally. But after watching how great Cate and Baze were with Lux, and how stable they were in their relationship, the notion of another grandchild wasn't the most unexpected.

Lux sat on the couch, watching her parents expectantly. They had sat her down after dinner and were currently contemplating what to say as they sat across from her on the coffee table.

"Lux, daddy and I have some really exciting news." Cate started off nervously, smiling anxiously at Baze as she squeezed his hand tightly.

Baze squeezed back before shifting to sit beside Lux and pulling her into his lap causing the little girl to giggle. "Do you remember when you asked who Carter was? And Jones told you he was his big brother."

Lux nodded, intrigued at the mention of her best friend. "Well how would you like a little brother or sister."

Lux looked confused, switching her glance between both of her grinning parents. "Why?"

The question caught both of her parents by surprise and they exchanged glances, deciding how to reply. "Well, because mommy and I are going to have a baby, and that will make you the baby's big sister."

Lux shook her head, folding her arms across her chest defiantly. "I don't want to."

Cate and Baze exchanged a surprised glance, neither know how to react. "Why don't you want to, kiddo?"

"Coz I don't want to." Lux huffed, scowling.

Cate shifted to sit beside them, trying to figure her daughter out. "It's okay to be scared, Lux. Being a big sister is a really important role. You're going to be there to help look after the baby, and make sure that they always have a friend. It's scary, but it's also really exciting and daddy and I are going to help you be the best big sister in the world."

"I'm not scared!" Lux stood up, yelling and shocking both of her parents. "I don't want a stupid baby!" Lux screamed, walking off. They heard her bedroom door slam seconds later and Cate was instantly up and making her way after her.

Baze stopped her before she could leave, wrapping an arm around her comfortingly as she leaned into him tiredly. "Well that went better than expected." She mumbled sarcastically.

Baze smirked slightly at the comment, kissing the top of her head lovingly. "She'll come around."

"I thought she'd be excited."

Baze nodded; Lux's reaction hadn't been anywhere near what they had been expecting. To be honest, it scared him. "Let's just give some time. It's a lot for her to take in."

Cate nodded, sighing and leaning into Baze as he sat down on the couch. They sat in silence for a few moments, watching as Baze's hand ran gently across Cate's stomach.

Lux was really angry but she didn't know why. Olivia and her had been working on feelings and how to figure out why she felt certain things and certain times, but she didn't understand why she felt angry about having a baby brother or sister. She had always wanted to be a big sister.

Lux sniffled, wiping her face as she shuffled off of her bed and made her way to her bedroom door. Maybe her mommy and daddy would know why she was angry.

Lux made her way down the hallway but stopped when she saw her mom and dad on the couch, smiling and playing with Cate's stomach. That's when it hit her. They didn't want her anymore. That's why they were having a new baby. It was clear they already loved the new baby more than they did her, and it wasn't even there yet! When it did get there, Lux knew they were just going to give her away again.

Lux huffed; angry, sad and scared as she quickly ran back to her room. She grabbed her back pack and emptied it, only putting the really "important" things back in. She grabbed her coat off of the coat rack in the hallway when her parents weren't looking and quickly slipped out the back door, running as fast as she could down the street.

"Lux?" Cate knocked gently on Lux's bedroom door, pushing it open slightly when she didn't get a reply. "Honey, I want to talk to you, okay?"

The emptiness of the room surprised Cate and she instinctively held a hand to her stomach, looking around. "Lux?"

After checking all of Lux's usual hiding places, Cate was officially freaking out. She made her way back into the living room where Baze was, panicking. "Did Lux come out here?"

"She's not in her room?" Baze stood up from the couch, sensing Cate's panic. He moved past her, walking through the house as Cate followed. "Lux? Where are you?"

"Are you hiding? Baby, we won't be mad. Just please come out now."

After checking the house three times, Cate and Baze were sure Lux was gone, and Cate was on the verge of completely freaking out.

"She's not here!"

Baze nodded, moving closer to Cate to try and keep her from completely losing it. "She's got to be here somewhere."

"Baze..." Cate whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

Baze shook his head, pulling her towards him as she latched onto him desperately. "No, he's in prison. She's okay. She's going to be fine."

Cate let out a sob into his chest, protectively holding a hand to her stomach. "This cannot be happening again."

The minute Jack Bazile had hung up the phone, he was out of the front door. His son had called him to tell him Lux was missing, and Jack had immediately began to panic. Of course, he didn't tell Ellen; he didn't want to worry his wife.

Jack drove around the neighborhood for a while, keeping his eyes peeled. He didn't know why he was looking around the streets; Lux hated the dark and she knew better than to run away. If Lux had _voluntarily_ run away, there had to be a good reason. Five year olds didn't just run away from home, right?

He spotted her the second he pulled into the car park; her blonde hair and penguin clutched tightly in her hands made it almost impossible to miss her, even in the dark.

"Lux?" Jack called out gently to announce his arrival, taking a seat beside her when he saw her relax. He was mad, but the sight of his granddaughter crying by her own in the dark broke his heart.

"You know your mom and dad are very worried about you." He spoke after a few minutes of silence, looking at her sternly.

Lux shook her head, her chin quivering as she sniffled. "Nuh uh."

"Of course they are, Lux. You know better than to leave without them. They were very worried when they realized you were gone. They had no idea where you were."

"No they're not!" Again Lux shook her head, angry as she started to cry. "They don't want me anymore!" 

Jack shifted so that he was face to face with Lux, shocked at her outburst. "Lux, why would you think that?"

Lux threw herself into Jack's arms, surprising him as she cried into his shoulder. "Coz they're getting a new baby!"

It suddenly all made sense and Jack worked hard to hide his amusement, rubbing Lux's back comfortably as he shifted so she was sitting on his lap. "Honey, your mom and dad are having another baby because they love you. They love you so much that they want to have another little girl or boy just like you!"

Lux sniffled, listening but not sure what to say. "Like me?"

"Yeah, just like you." Jack smirked as Lux's demeanor changed slightly.

Lux thought for a moment, sniffling as she cuddled more into Jack. "Can I live with you and grandma when the new baby comes?"

Jack smiled, trying his best not to laugh as he brushed Lux's hair back from her face. "No, sweetheart, you're going to live with your parents like you do now."

Lux wanted to argue but she knew that wasn't a good idea with her gramps, so she let it go; burying her thoughts.

By the time Jack brought Lux home, she was exhausted and nervous, much like her parents.

Cate swooped her up the second she walked through the front door, hugging her tightly while Baze moved to Jack.

"Thanks, dad."

Jack nodded toward Lux, patting Baze's arm. "You need to talk to her." He advised before saying goodbye and leaving.

As upset as she was, Lux couldn't deny being in her mom's arms was the greatest feeling in the world. She sniffled into Cate's shoulder, gripping her tighter as she remembered that once the new baby was here, they were going to give her away and she would never get to hug her mom or dad again.

The second Jack had left, Cate carried Lux into the lounge room and sat her on the lounge, holding her arms so she couldn't get away. "Where were you? Lux, we have told you so many times before to tell us if you want to go somewhere. You know that you can't leave the house without your dad or I."

Lux mumbled to herself, looking away to avoid her parents' eye contact as they sat in front of her. "I didn't want to tell you."

Cate sighed angrily, running a stressed hand through her hair. "Do you have any idea how worried we were? Do you even care?"

Lux struggled in Cate's grasp, trying to escape as Cate held her arms to keep her in place.

"No..." Lux mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

"'No' you don't know or 'no' you don't care?" In the back of her mind, Cate knew she was talking more maturely than a five year old should be able to understand but she didn't care.

"No." Lux whined, pulling away.

Baze picked her up before she could run, Cate standing up beside them as Lux struggled.

"I don't care how angry you are at mom or I, you cannot run off like that."

"Let me go!" Lux yelled, pounding at Baze with her fists and catching both her parents by shock.

Baze placed Lux on the floor when they got inside and both he and Cate watched as she ran to her room, slamming the door behind her. They exchanged a glance before following, not sure what to think.

"Lux!" Cate's eyes widened as they walked into Lux's room, watching as the blonde threw things around the room, breaking everything in sight. Dr. Cameron had mentioned the possibility of Lux having an anger fit, and they had witnessed one before when Dr. Cameron was talking to Lux about Kevin, but they had never seen anything quite like this. "Hey! Stop!"

Baze grabbed Lux's arms to keep her from knocking over her beside lamp, taken back when she tried to hit him away, crying harder.

"Lux, what has gotten into you?" Baze asked, more to himself than to his daughter.

Lux stopped her movements, crying as her dad rubbed her arms soothingly. "You don't want me anymore!"

Cate and Baze were taken aback to say the least, neither knowing what to say. "Lux..."

"Lux, baby, why would you even think that?"

Lux folded her arms across her chest, crying as she mumbled. "Because you want to have a new baby."

Both Cate and Baze came to the heart-breaking realization and on instinct tried to comfort their daughter; Lux pulling away. "Oh, god, Lux... Is that why you think we're having another baby? Because we don't want you anymore?"

Lux didn't say anything, avoiding eye contact as she sniffled and nodded. "Sweetheart, we're not having another baby because we don't want you anymore. We're having another baby because we want you to have a little brother or sister." So it wasn't the whole truth.

Lux sniffled, mumbling. "I know. That's what grandpa said."

Cate frowned, brushing back Lux's hair from her face gently. "Then why would you think that we don't want you anymore?"

"Coz you didn't want me before." To Lux, it made perfect sense, but Cate and Baze had no idea what she was talking about.

"What do you mean we didn't want you before, kiddo?" Baze pulled Lux closer to him, relieved when she sat on his knee rather than pulling away.

"When I was a baby." Lux mumbled knowingly. "You didn't want me so you gave me away."

Cate and Baze exchanged a glance, their hearts breaking. No matter how many times they had tried to explain to Lux why they gave her up at birth, she couldn't understand.

"Baby, I want you to listen to me, okay?" Cate waited until Lux reluctantly made eye contact before continuing. "Daddy and I? We love you. We love you more than you could ever know, and that will never change. No matter what happens; how old you get or how many babies come into our family, we will _never_ give you away again, and you will_ never_ be replaced to us. Okay?"

Lux sniffled, nodding slightly. Cate sighed, pulling Lux into a hug and holding her tightly. Lux gripped her mom back, turning her head into her shoulder but not letting go. "Can I sleep with you?"

Cate nodded, wanting more than anything to keep Lux in sight. She passed Lux over to Baze as they stood up, Baze wrapping an arm around Cate's shoulder with one arm as he carried Lux with the other, while Cate hands instinctively went to her stomach, throwing a silent prayer up that everything was going to work out okay.

**A/N: Quick question, fabulous readers- which story would you like to see updated next? I am honestly trying my hardest to update whenever I can! Anyway, hope you enjoyed and please review :)**


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